Facebook-parent Meta, Amazon, Flipkart, among online shopping sites facing 44 lakh fine for selling illegal walkie-talkies in India The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has reportedly imposed penalties totalling Rs 44 lakh on eight e-commerce platforms. The list of online shopping platforms includes Amazon, Flipkart, Meta (the parent company of Facebook), Meesho, and others, which are listing and selling unauthorised walkie-talkies in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and telecom laws.According to a PTI report, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said the authority imposed penalties of Rs 10 lakh each on Meesho, Meta (for Facebook Marketplace), Flipkart, and Amazon. Meanwhile, a penalty of Rs 1 lakh each was also imposed on Chimiya, JioMart, Talk Pro, and MaskMan Toys for violations of consumer rights, misleading advertisements, and unfair trade practices.First, a notice was issued to 13 e-commerce platforms based on the discovery of more than 16,970 non-compliant product listings. In its assessment, CCPA determined that e-commerce platforms facilitated consumers in buying Personal Mobile Radios that operated outside the licence-free frequency band without Equipment Type Approval or adequate information about licensing.Khare noted that Meesho, Meta, Chimiya, JioMart, and Talk Pro have already paid their penalties. Meanwhile, payments from the remaining platforms are still awaited.
How these online shopping sites violated laws by selling walkie-talkies
Under current regulations, a license exemption applies only to PMRs operating strictly in the 446.0-446.2 MHz band. Rule 5 of the Use of Low Power and Very Low Power Short Range Radio Frequency Devices Rules, 2018, requires that manufacturers and sellers obtain an ETA before importing, selling, or operating such devices.On Flipkart, the number of units that were sold was 65,931. The frequency was either left blank or outside the required range. Additionally, 42,275 units were sold with the required frequency displayed. On Amazon, 2,602 units were sold between January 2023 and May 2025. There were 467 product listings that had inadequate frequency or certification information.Meesho recorded 2,209 units from a single seller, but most sellers did not provide ETA certification or frequency information.JioMart sold 58 units over two years without clear licensing requirements, while Facebook Marketplace had 710 listings removed following a CCPA action.In the case of Facebook Marketplace, the CCPA found walkie-talkies were listed without information about licensing requirements, frequency details, or ETA/WPC certification. Despite removing listings after notices, the platform allowed repeated listing of regulated devices without proper safety measures.The authority said that platforms must exercise proper care based on their size and technology capability, with 710 listings removed following action. Talk Pro (Iconet Services Pvt Ltd) was found listing devices operating across the UHF band 400-1200 MHz, while falsely claiming they were “100 per cent legal” and “license-free.”Several platforms tried to claim intermediary status to avoid responsibility for third-party listings. The CCPA rejected this defence, saying that platforms that help with listing, hosting, finding, and promoting regulated products cannot be treated as passive channels.“Intermediary protections are conditional upon the exercise of effective due diligence and do not extend to situations where platforms permit products to be listed or advertised without mandatory statutory disclosures,” the authority stated.Following appropriate consultation with the Department of Telecommunications and the Ministry of Home Affairs, the CCPA has published guidelines for the Prevention and Regulation of Illegal Listing and Sale of Radio Equipment, including Walkie-Talkies, on E-Commerce Platforms, 2025, in order to strengthen the sense of platform responsibility.These include showing frequency compliance, the ETA’s pre-listing certification, disclosing licensing obligations, the ban on misleading advertisements, and the use of automated monitoring and removal systems.The CCPA directed major e-commerce platforms to conduct self-audits to ensure such violations through misleading listings are not common, publish audit certificates online, and strengthen pre-listing compliance systems to ensure no radio equipment requiring legal approval is listed without full legal compliance.The CCPA warned that unauthorised radio communication devices can cause harmful interference with important national communication networks, including those used by law enforcement, disaster response authorities, and emergency services.“Such interference can disrupt essential operations and compromise communications vital to public order and national security,” the authority said, adding that consumers rely heavily on online descriptions while shopping and the sale of non-compliant devices exposes them to regulatory risks.Five matters involving Antriksh Technologies, IndiaMart, Tradeindia.com, Vardaanmart, and Krishna Mart remain at various stages of investigation or hearing.
