Flipkart Slapped With Rs 1L Fine For Selling Below Quality Pressure Cookers

The e-commerce site Flipkart was found to have violated consumer rights by selling household pressure cookers in breach of legal requirements, according to a ruling made by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA). 

The CCPA has ordered Flipkart to notify customers of all 598 pressure cookers sold on its site, recall the pressure cookers, compensate customers for their purchase costs, and submit a compliance report about the same within 45 days, according to CCPA Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare. 

Additionally, the corporation has been ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 1,000,000 for violating the rights of customers by allowing the sale of such pressure cookers on its e-commerce platform. The Central Government occasionally issues Quality Control Orders that mandate mandatory standard compliance and the use of a standard mark for a product in order to safeguard consumers from danger of harm and injury as well as for the benefit of the general public. All household pressure cookers must comply with IS 2347:2017 as of February 1, 2021, under the Domestic Pressure Cooker (Quality Control) rule. 

Due diligence must be performed whether the pressure cookers are being sold online or offline starting February 1, 2021, and all pressure cookers must comply with IS 2347:2017. The CCPA noted that clauses in the "Flipkart terms of use" such as the requirement to write "Powered by Flipkart" on every product invoice and the designation of sellers as gold, silver, and bronze for the purpose of awarding various benefits point to the role that Flipkart played in the sale of pressure cookers on its e-commerce platform. 

Flipkart acknowledged that the sale of these pressure cookers on its e-commerce platform generated a total profit of Rs 1,84,263. According to CCPA, Flipkart cannot disassociate itself from its part and obligation related to the sale of such pressure cookers to consumers when it has benefited commercially from doing so.