The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has initiated major regulatory enforcement against seven digital platforms for the unauthorized listing, hosting, advertising, and facilitation of sales of hazardous and regulated explosive substances like ammonium nitrate, gunpowder, picric acid, and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). Aimed at bolstering consumer safety and public security, the crackdown has led to the removal and delisting of 3,940 seller and listing entries across platforms such as IndiaMART, TradeIndia, Dial4Trade, Justdial, Sigma-Aldrich India, ExportersIndia, and Ibuychemikals. Highlighting that such substances are strictly governed under the Explosives Act, 1884, the CCPA has imposed initial penalties totaling ₹30 lakh—treating unauthorized online listings as misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019—while further proceedings and legal challenges by various e-commerce entities remain pending before judicial forums.
CCPA Cracks Down on Online Platforms Over Unauthorised Sale of Regulated Explosives
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