NEW DELHI: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has initiated suo motu action against e-commerce platforms for listing and selling unauthorised walkie-talkies in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and telecom laws, issuing final orders against eight entities and imposing penalties totalling Rs 44 lakh.

Notices were issued to 13 e-commerce entities - Chimiya, JioMart, Talk Pro, Meesho, MaskMan Toys, TradeIndia, Antriksh Technologies, Vardaanmart, IndiaMart, Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook Marketplace), Flipkart, Krishna Mart, and Amazon, following the identification of over 16,970 non-compliant product listings across platforms.

The CCPA found platforms were facilitating the sale of Personal Mobile Radios ) operating outside the license-exempt frequency band, without Equipment Type Approval certification or proper disclosure of licensing requirements.

The authority imposed penalties of Rs 10 lakh each on Meesho, Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook Marketplace), Flipkart, and Amazon, and Rs 1 lakh each on Chimiya, JioMart, Talk Pro, and MaskMan Toys for violations of consumer rights, misleading advertisements, and unfair trade practices, said Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare.