Talk too free costs dear as CCPA slaps Rs 10 lakh fines on platforms

MUMBAI: When walkie-talkies started speaking louder than the law, the regulator pressed the mute button. India’s consumer watchdog has fined Flipkart and Meta Platforms Rs 10 lakh each for allowing the sale of walkie-talkies on their platforms without mandatory disclosures on licensing and regulatory compliance.

In separate but connected orders issued in January 2026, the Central Consumer Protection Authority held that both platforms permitted listings of regulated telecom equipment without informing consumers about critical legal requirements. These include operating frequency ranges, the need for a wireless operating licence, and mandatory Equipment Type Approval certification details essential to determine whether the devices can be legally used in India.

The Authority observed that the lack of disclosures could mislead buyers into believing the devices were fit for unrestricted use. Walkie-talkies fall under the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933, and are regulated by the Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing. Only Personal Mobile Radios operating strictly within the 446.0–446.2 MHz band are licence-exempt; devices outside this range require prior approvals.

In Flipkart’s case, the CCPA took suo motu cognisance of the listings and issued a notice in May 2025. Submissions showed that 8,708 sellers were offering walkie-talkies, with 1,08,206 units sold since January 2023 without any verification of frequency compliance or ETA certification. The Authority termed this a systemic lapse and a failure to exercise due diligence under the Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020.

Flipkart’s defence that it functioned merely as an intermediary and that responsibility lay with third-party sellers found no favour. The CCPA ruled that marketplace entities carry an independent obligation to ensure regulated products are not sold without legally mandated disclosures.

A similar line was taken against Meta, where listings on Facebook Marketplace were found to lack regulatory information. While Meta removed some listings after receiving a show-cause notice and cited internal monitoring tools, the Authority said these steps were reactive and insufficient. It also rejected Meta’s claim that Facebook Marketplace does not qualify as an e-commerce entity, noting that facilitating product discovery and buyer–seller interaction brings it squarely within the rules.

Concluding that both platforms had engaged in misleading practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the CCPA imposed the penalties and directed them to strengthen compliance systems. Going forward, listings of regulated products will have to speak clearly or risk being silenced by the law.