Now Reading: Amazon fined Rs 1 lakh over fake Ram Mandir prasad listings
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Amazon fined Rs 1 lakh over fake Ram Mandir prasad listings
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has fined Amazon Rs 1 lakh for listing ordinary sweets as 'Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad' without authorisation from the temple trust. The regulator said the products misled devotees and exploited religious sentiments. The case was triggered by a January 2024 complaint from the Confederation of All India Traders, days before the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.
The CCPA found four sweet packs, ghee ladoo at Rs 299, khoya ladoo and ghee bundi ladoo at Rs 350 each, and desi cow milk peda at Rs 385, sold by Patna-based Chandu Trading Company. The listings used religious imagery and claimed the sweets carried blessings from the temple. The regulator rejected Amazon's safe harbour defence under the IT Act, ruling that e-commerce platforms must independently prevent unfair trade practices.
Times Now reports that the CCPA questioned why Amazon's monitoring systems failed to flag the listings despite prominent religious references. Inc42 adds that the order also directs Amazon to verify prasad listings linked to 10 major religious institutions, including Tirumala Tirupati and Vaishno Devi, and to prominently display seller details. The four listings generated total sales of Rs 39,802.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both sources report the same regulatory action factually, but Times Now places greater emphasis on the CCPA's criticism of Amazon's monitoring systems and safe harbour defence, while Inc42 focuses on the compliance framework Amazon proposed and the new verification system covering 10 religious institutions. Neither source adopts a pro-government or critical stance, both present the CCPA's findings as legitimate consumer protection. A careful reader should note that the penalty is relatively small (Rs 1 lakh) but the operational impact could be larger: Amazon must now verify prasad listings across major temples and improve seller disclosures. The key number to watch is whether other e-commerce platforms face similar scrutiny.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): timesnownews.com (neutral report), inc42.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
