CCPA Slaps Penalty on Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho Over Illegal Walkie-Talkie Sales

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), a consumer watchdog, fined Amazon, Meesho, Meta, and other e-commerce sites for selling walkie-talkies illegally, claiming that thousands of listings violated consumer and telecom regulations. In addition to a number of smaller merchants and websites, the CCPA reported that it discovered over 16,900 non-compliant walkie-talkie listings on e-commerce sites like Facebook Marketplace, Meesho, JioMart, and Flipkart.

Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, and Meta were all fined INR 10 lakh by the watchdog. Chimiya, MaskMan Toys, Talk Pro, and JioMart all received lesser fines of INR 1 Lakh. Many walkie-talkies were offered without providing consumers with vital details. Essential details such as the radio frequency they used, whether a government licence was required, or whether the gadget had official Department of Telecommunications approval were not provided, according to the CCPA.

Products Wrongly Advertised: CCPA          

The CCPA claims that a number of products were falsely marketed as "100% legal" or "licence-free". The Authority discovered that a large number of devices exploited ultra-high frequency (UHF) bands, which are controlled and utilised by law enforcement, emergency services, and disaster relief organisations.

Despite having a 30-kilometre communication range, walkie-talkies were occasionally marketed as toys, which raised safety concerns. Only walkie-talkies that operate only between 446.0 and 446.2 MHz are free from licence under Indian law, and even then, they need technical permission before being sold.

According to the CCPA, selling devices in violation of these regulations constitutes unfair commercial practices and deceptive advertising. The CCPA claims that while some of the corporations have already paid the penalty, others have not yet done so. There are still ongoing investigations into websites like TradeIndia and IndiaMART.

CCPA Sharp Warning To Market Players

The platforms' assertions that they are merely middlemen and have no liability for third-party sellers were also denied by the watchdog. It stated that appropriate checks must be performed by platforms that permit the sale and promotion of regulated goods. Additionally, it cautioned that unlicensed radio equipment can jeopardise national security and public safety by interfering with vital communication networks.

It instructed these platforms to conduct frequent audits, guarantee transparent disclosures for customers, and cease listing such products without approval. The CCPA has taken a number of measures during the last twelve months, which are followed by the fines. Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, OLX, TradeIndia, Facebook, and IndiaMART were among the 13 e-commerce sites that received notifications from the Authority in May 2025 for listing walkie-talkies without making the necessary disclosures regarding frequency usage, licensing requirements, and regulatory approvals. There were hundreds of unapproved listings at the time, according to a preliminary analysis: 467 on Amazon, 314 on Flipkart, 489 on Meesho, and 423 on TradeIndia.