Amazon, Flipkart, Meta, Meesho fined ₹10 lakh each over walkie-talkie sales; here's what happened

India’s consumer protection watchdog has taken action against major e-commerce platforms for selling unauthorised walkie-talkies, imposing penalties of ₹44 lakh and warning that such devices could interfere with critical communication networks used by security and emergency services.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) said it had initiated suo motu proceedings after identifying more than 16,970 non-compliant listings of walkie-talkies and personal mobile radios (PMRs) being sold in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and India’s telecom regulations.

Notices were issued to 13 entities, including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, JioMart, Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook Marketplace) and several smaller platforms.

The authority issued final orders against eight entities, imposing penalties of ₹10 lakh each on Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and Meta Platforms, and ₹1 lakh each on Chimiya, JioMart, Talk Pro and MaskMan Toys, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said.

Meesho, Meta Platforms, Chimiya, JioMart and Talk Pro have paid the penalties, while payments from the remaining platforms are awaited, she added.

The CCPA found that platforms were facilitating the sale of PMRs operating outside the licence-exempt frequency band, without mandatory Equipment Type Approval (ETA) certification or clear disclosure of licensing requirements.

Under existing rules, only devices operating strictly in the 446.0–446.2 MHz band qualify for licence exemption, and sellers must obtain ETA certification before import or sale.

According to the authority, Flipkart recorded sales of more than 65,000 units where frequency details were missing or outside the permitted range, while Amazon sold 2,602 units between January 2023 and May 2025, with hundreds of listings lacking proper certification details.

Meesho saw over 2,200 units sold by a single seller without adequate disclosures, while Facebook Marketplace delisted 710 listings following regulatory intervention.

In one case, Talk Pro was found advertising devices operating across a wide UHF range as “100% legal” and “licence-free”, while Chimiya offered imported devices operating outside the permitted spectrum without mandatory approvals.

The CCPA rejected arguments by several platforms that they were merely intermediaries hosting third-party listings, saying such protections did not apply where companies failed to exercise due diligence.

“Intermediary protections are conditional and do not extend to situations where platforms permit products to be listed or advertised without mandatory statutory disclosures,” the authority said.

The regulator has notified new guidelines for the prevention and regulation of illegal listing and sale of radio equipment on e-commerce platforms, mandating verification of frequency compliance, ETA certification prior to listing, and deployment of automated monitoring and takedown mechanisms.

The authority has also directed major platforms to conduct self-audits, publish audit certificates online and strengthen pre-listing compliance checks.

The CCPA warned that unauthorised radio devices could cause harmful interference with communication networks used by law enforcement, disaster response and emergency services, potentially affecting public order and national security.

"Such interference can disrupt essential operations and compromise communications vital to public order and national security," the authority said.

Five cases involving Antriksh Technologies, IndiaMart, TradeIndia.com, Vardaanmart and Krishna Mart remain under investigation or at various stages of hearing, the authority said.