CCPA fines Amazon Rs 1 lakh for misleading 'Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad’ listings
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has fined Amazon Rs 1 lakh for allowing the sale of sweets falsely marketed as 'Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.' The authority ruled that the unauthorized use of religious terminology for commercial products misled consumers and offended religious sentiments.
Why it matters
This case underscores the regulatory scrutiny e-commerce platforms face regarding consumer protection and the protection of religious branding in India.
NEW DELHI: Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a Rs 1 lakh penalty on e-commerce major Amazon for allowing misleading advertisements and listings of sweets falsely marketed as “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad” on its platform. It found there was no authorisation from Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for the laddu (sweets) sold as prasad.In its order, CCPA observed that the phrase “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad” carries a specific and well-understood meaning for Hindu devotees where it denotes sacred food offered to and blessed by the deity at the Ram temple.“The commercial appropriation of this phrase for ordinary confectionery products, without any authorisation from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, constitutes not just a misleading trade practice under Consumer Protection Act but an affront to religious sentiments of crores of consumers,” the order said.The order was issued following a complaint by Confederation of All India Traders…
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