The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine on e-commerce platform Meesho for permitting the sale and advertisement of an unregistered herbicide. The order, issued in October 2026, also requires Meesho to halt such sales, conduct an audit of its platform, and submit a compliance report within 15 days, according to medianama.com.
The case originated in January 2026 after the Crop Care Federation of India filed a complaint with the Agriculture Ministry about the online sale of Cyclosinone Herbicide. By February, the ministry confirmed to the CCPA that the chemical was not registered under India’s insecticide regulations and forwarded the complaint. An investigation revealed that 282 sellers had created 3,537 listings for the product on Meesho between July 19, 2025, and March 23, 2026, resulting in sales of 93,151 units. The listings described the product as a low-toxicity weed killer but omitted critical regulatory details, per medianama.com.
Meesho defended itself by stating that third-party sellers fraudulently listed a fictitious product and that it only operated as a marketplace without controlling product descriptions. However, the CCPA rejected this intermediary defence, citing Meesho’s failure to verify sellers’ licenses and prevent misleading listings. This enforcement action highlights regulatory scrutiny on e-commerce platforms for compliance with product safety and registration norms, aligning with broader consumer protection efforts in India, as reported by medianama.com.
The CCPA’s directive mandates Meesho to stop the sale of unregistered herbicides immediately and submit a compliance audit within 15 days of the order, reinforcing regulatory measures to ensure consumer safety on digital marketplaces.