Amazon, Flipkart, and JioMart fined over unregistered herbicide listings

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has penalized Amazon, Flipkart, and JioMart for the online sale and promotion of a product marketed as ‘Cyclosinone Herbicide’. The regulator imposed fines of ₹10 lakh each on Amazon and Flipkart, and ₹5 lakh on JioMart.

The action follows a complaint from the Crop Care Federation of India, which revealed that ‘Cyclosinone’ is not included in the Schedule to the Insecticides Act, 1968. Investigations found that the product was listed without disclosing its active chemical ingredients or composition, and featured misleading claims such as ‘low toxicity’ and ‘Eco-Safe Weeds Terminator Lawn’.

The CCPA rejected the platforms' arguments that they were merely intermediaries responsible only for third-party seller listings. The regulator ruled that e-commerce entities have legal obligations to verify the regulatory status of such products. All three marketplaces have been ordered to cease selling and advertising the herbicide and must conduct self-audits to identify other potentially non-compliant listings, with compliance reports due within 15 days.