Consumer Protection Authority notifies Flipkart and Meesho about the sale of acid and requests a response within seven days.

The Consumer Protection Authority notifies Flipkart and Meesho about the sale of acid and requests a response within seven days. For irregularities associated with the sale of acid that has been detected on their platforms, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) sent notices to Flipkart and Meesho, asking for an explanation within seven days. The action was taken in response to an acid assault on a 17-year-old girl on December 14, 2022, in the Dwarka neighborhood of Delhi, which occurred while she was walking to school. The young woman is being treated at Safdarjung Hospital right now. All of the defendants in the case have been detained by the police.

Aggressive action has been taken to stop the violation of consumer rights by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and the Department of Consumer Affairs.

The CCPA implemented strong efforts to protect consumer interests prior to the rise in crime in society, according to a release from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution on Friday. For serious breaches related to the sale of acid that was reported on their platforms, the CCPA has written notifications to two e-commerce businesses, namely Flipkart Internet Private Limited and Fashnear Technologies Private Limited (meesho.com).

These organizations have been instructed to provide detailed responses within seven days. According to the press release, the CCPA, India’s purchaser protection agency, discovered that shockingly corrosive acids are being sold on various e-commerce platforms. According to the report, having harmful acids so easily accessible to customers and the general public may be risky and unsafe.

The launch stated: “CCPA has directed it to post an in-depth response, in conjunction with important assisting documents, within 7 days, addressing the concern of such availability of acids on its e-platform in light of a recent Meesho was found while conducting suo moto research into the net sale of corrosive acids, which led to the unfortunate incident of an acid attack on a 17-year-old in Delhi, where media reports highlighted that the alleged offenders had purchased the said acid from, according to the press emancipation. Meesho has been observed to be promoting those acids in contravention of the Supreme Court’s commands and the Ministry of Home Affairs’ advisory.

According to the requirements of the Consumer Protection Act of 2019, “any non-compliance by these e-commerce businesses with the orders of the CCPA’s notifications will be firmly dealt with,” the ministry stated. The right to be shielded from the marketing of commodities, products, or services that are risky to life or property is included in the definition of “consumer rights” found in Section 2(9) of the Consumer Protection Act of 2019.

According to the statement, “the simple, open, and uncontrolled sale of extremely corrosive chemicals by the online marketplace company without any kind of due diligence can have devastating effects on customers, especially the weaker members of society like women and children. “No e-commerce firm may engage in any unfair trade practices, whether in the normal course of operations on its platform or in other contexts, following Section 4(3) of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020.

Given the urgency of the situation, the CCPA has taken suo moto action. Section 18 (1) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, empowers it to protect, promote, and implement the rights of clients as a class and prevent consumer rights violations, as well as prevent unfair trade practices and ensure that no one engages in such Guidelines to control the sale of acids have already been released by several states and UTs.

According to the announcement, “these e-commerce platforms have been required to submit the checks and compliances performed through them in this respect” due to the fact they function and deliver their objects for the duration of the whole country.

 On August 30, 2013, the Ministry of Home Affairs released an advisory titled “Measures to be Taken to Prevent Acid Assaults on Humans and for the Remedy and Rehabilitation of Survivors,” which was issued in reaction to the Supreme Court’s demands.

All states and UTs were advised to take immediate action to implement the measures mentioned for reducing acid attacks, treating and rehabilitating acid attack survivors, and any other necessary measures. According to the police, two bike-riding guys are accused of attacking a 17-year-old girl with acid earlier on Wednesday in Delhi’s Dwarka sector.

The consumer protection authorities have requested an explanation from Flipkart about the sale of acid. According to reports, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has questioned e-tailer Flipkart over the sale of acid on its website. Within the next seven days, Flipkart has been requested to explain. The justification comes in response to claims that the suspect in a recent acid assault on a girl in Dwarka, Delhi, purchased the acid through Flipkart.

Two e-commerce businesses received caution from the Delhi Commission for Women earlier today for allegedly enabling the sale of acid on their websites. The Delhi Police also submitted a notice to Flipkart after learning that the acid had been obtained through the online retailer.  According to reports, the authority stated in the letter that the CCPA was informed that the culprit in a recent acid assault case in Delhi acquired the acid through Flipkart. For the benefit of Flipkart, the CCPA has sent many media stories as attachments to the letter.

According to media sources, it appears that acid is being sold on Flipkart in a simple and uncontrolled manner, according to the CCPA. The CCPA has noted that customers may be at risk due to the ready availability of acid on e-commerce platforms. According to sources, the CCPA has requested that Flipkart respond to the letter within seven days. According to reports, Flipkart has also been instructed to provide supporting documentation. On Wednesday, just minutes after she left her house for school, two masked men on a bike threw acid on a teenager, severely injuring her.

As indignation over the incident grew, many questioned why there was still access to acid in marketplaces despite a prohibition. The primary suspect, Sachin Arora, was determined to have purchased the acid from Flipkart after the police detained three guys.

Edited by Prakriti Arora