Meesho fined ₹10 lakh for allowing sale of uncertified walkie-talkies

This is the largest penalty imposed by India’s top consumer watchdog on any e-commerce platform so far over the sale of uncertified walkie-talkies. The CCPA previously penalised Reliance JioMart, Talk Pro (Iconet Services Pvt. Ltd), The MaskMan Toys and Chimiya ₹1 lakh each for selling walkie-talkies without authorisation.

Investigations into other ecommerce platforms including Amazon, Flipkart, OLX, Facebook and IndiaMart are underway and the final orders are awaited, a government official said. The companies had received CCPA notices on the issue on 9 May.

Why was Meesho's fine 10 times bigger?

Founded by Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal in December 2015, Meesho is an online marketplace that facilitates trade between suppliers and customers. The company is in the midst of an IPO, which opened for subscription on 3 December. It’s looking to raise ₹5,421 crore from the public issue.

On why Meesho's fine was 10 times larger than the others, the government official cited above said, “The basis for such a penalty is the scale of unverified sales. The order shows 2,209 walkie-talkies were sold on the platform by a single seller without any disclosure of frequency specifications, licensing requirements or ETA/WPC certification, and no evidence was provided to show that these devices had the mandatory approvals. It also records that 1,896 non-toy walkie-talkie listings were put up by 85 sellers over a year, but the platform could not provide data on how many units were sold."

According to the 16-page CCPA order, which Mint has reviewed, Meesho permitted the listing of wireless devices on its platform until May 2025 – when it received a notice from the authority – without disclosing key information related to licensing rules, frequency bands, and safety compliance, thereby exposing consumers to potential legal and security risks.

The order noted that Meesho submitted details of only one seller despite CCPA’s repeated notices seeking information on all sellers who listed such products. The platform was asked to share product URLs, seller IDs, technical certificates and declarations, but it failed to furnish the complete documentation.

Since Meesho is yet to respond, it is unclear whether the e-commerce company will comply and pay the penalty, or challenge the order before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) or in court.

May crackdown

The case stemmed from a preliminary inquiry in May that examined listings of walkie-talkie devices on several e-commerce platforms. Following this, the CCPA issued notices to marketplaces including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, OLX and IndiaMart, Mint reported on 10 May.

A senior government official said investigations into other e-commerce platforms were at different stages and that final orders would be issued once their hearings were completed. All these platforms, including Meesho, are required to file a compliance report within 15 days of receiving the CCPA’s final order.

A senior executive at one of the e-commerce platforms that has been penalized said, “The CCPA should take a supportive approach by educating sellers and ensuring a help desk is available for guidance. A first warning and a fair opportunity to correct shortcomings should be given before any penalty is imposed. If a seller rectifies the issue as advised by the help desk, there should be no need for penal action, as many violations stem from lack of awareness rather than intent and are not chronic in nature."

Queries sent to the consumer affairs ministry and all the companies mentioned above remained unanswered at the time of publishing.

‘National security risk’

Experts said these cases went beyond consumer protection and touched on national security as uncertified wireless devices could be used to disrupt critical communication networks.

“The sale of uncertified walkie-talkies is not a small compliance issue—it creates real security vulnerabilities," said security expert Amit Singh. “Unregulated devices can interfere with licensed frequency bands used by emergency services, aviation and defence agencies. When e-commerce platforms allow such products to be sold without proper checks, they expose consumers to legal risks and the country to potential communication breaches. The CCPA’s action sends an important message that wireless equipment cannot be treated like ordinary retail goods," added Singh, who is associate professor at the special centre for national security studies at JNU.

Ashim Sanyal, a consumer policy expert, said the final orders would set an important benchmark on accountability for online marketplaces. “Clear enforcement across all major platforms is essential to ensure fair practices and protect buyers," said Sanyal, chief operating officer of consumer rights group Consumer VOICE.

Radio interference

The CCPA’s investigation found that several sellers on Meesho had listed walkie-talkie models that operated on regulated radio frequencies. Under the Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) Wing’s rules, personal mobile radios operating in the 446.0-446.2 MHz range are exempt from licensing, but devices in other bands must carry an equipment type approval (ETA) certificate. The WPC Wing is India's national radio regulatory authority.

The CCPA said Meesho failed to ensure sellers provided these mandatory details and allowed products to be sold without clarity on compliance with the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933.

The order noted that Meesho submitted details of only one seller despite CCPA’s repeated notices seeking information on all sellers who listed such products. The platform was asked to share product URLs, seller IDs, technical certificates and declarations, but it failed to furnish complete documentation. The missing information, CCPA said, “deprived consumers of essential details required to make informed purchasing decisions" and amounted to a violation of consumer rights under Sections 2(9), 21(1), 2(28), and 2(47) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The authority pointed out that nearly 2,029 units of a single walkie-talkie model were sold by one seller alone, indicating sustained sales over several months. It said Meesho “exercised substantial control" over listings on its platform and therefore could not be treated as a passive intermediary. The order noted that walkie-talkies listed under the ‘kids & toys’ category were actually not toys but actual wireless communication devices, and such mis-categorization could mislead consumers about regulatory requirements and potential risks.

Meesho blames errant sellers

Meesho argued that some sellers had attempted to bypass platform checks and that it removed delisted non-compliant listings after receiving the first notice in May 2025. It also said it had strengthened its internal monitoring mechanisms, introduced manual reviews, and added data-science-based flagging systems to detect irregular listings.

However, the CCPA said that the platform acted only after regulatory intervention and did not take timely steps on its own. It also noted that Meesho had not taken legal action against sellers who misused the category structure to list sensitive wireless devices.

In its final directions, the CCPA ordered Meesho to prominently display ETA or BIS certifications for such products if they are listed in the future. It said these measures were necessary to protect consumers, prevent the illegal sale of radio equipment, and strengthen compliance across e-commerce platforms.

India’s e-commerce industry, valued at $125 billion in 2024, is projected to grow to $345 billion by 2030, at a compounded annual growth rate of 15%, as per India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a commerce ministry body. The sector has been a key driver of investments. In 2024-25, e-commerce attracted $3.1 billion across 79 deals, accounting for 31% of total startup funding. This marked a 128% jump from 2023, when it recorded $1.4 billion across 59 deals, as per the IBEF report.