The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a ₹1 Lakh penalty on ecommerce major Amazon over the sale of sweets on its marketplace under the misleading claim that they were “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad”. 

In an order earlier this month, the consumer protection regulator said the commercial use of the phrase for ordinary confectionery, without authorisation from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, amounted to a misleading trade practice and an “affront to the religious sentiments of crores of consumers”. 

The order followed a January 19, 2024 complaint by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which alleged that sweets were being sold on Amazon as Ram Mandir prasad without any authorisation, affiliation, or endorsement from the temple. 

Following a preliminary inquiry, the CCPA found four such products listed by Chandu Trading Company under the Bihar Brothers brand. These included ghee ladoos, khoya khobi ladoos, ghee boondi ladoos, and desi cow milk peda, priced between ₹299 and ₹385. 

The products were available for nationwide delivery and prominently used the phrase “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad”, along with religious imagery and references to Lord Ram and Ayodhya. 

The listings also claimed that the products carried “Blessings from Shree Ram Janam Bhumi Temple, Ayodhya”.

The regulator further flagged that the ingredient section across the four listings described their contents merely as “Ram Mandir Prasad”, calling it a misleading and non-factual description of the products’ actual ingredients.

The CCPA issued a show cause notice to Amazon on January 19, 2024, following which the company removed the listings and disclosed the identity of the seller.

Source link