Amazon gets Centre's notice against sellers for selling sweets as 'Ram Mandir prasad'

The action comes in response to a complaint lodged by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), alleging that Amazon is misleading consumers by selling sweets under the guise of "prasad" from the yet-to-be-inaugurated Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The Centre has sent a notice to Amazon alleging that the online retailer is selling candies under the name "Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad" and that the company is involved in "deceptive trade practices." The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) filed a complaint, and the action taken in response to it claims that Amazon is deceiving customers by offering candies for sale under the name "prasad" from the Ayodhya Ram Temple, which is not yet open.

According to the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), these kinds of actions deceive customers about the real features of the items and sway their decisions to buy based on false impressions.

 In an official statement, the CCPA stated, "Allowing food goods to be sold online under false pretences deceives customers about the true nature of the product. Such practice falsely influences consumers to make purchase decisions they might not have otherwise taken, had the accurate attributes of the product been mentioned."

Ayodhya Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad, Khoya Khobi Ladoo, Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad - Desi Cow Milk Peda, and Sri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad - Raghupati Ghee Ladoo are some of the precise goods in question that are featured on Amazon.

Amazon has been given seven days to respond to the notice issued by the CCPA, failing which necessary actions will be initiated against the company under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. 

Specifically, the Consumer Protection Act forbids "misleading advertisements" that mislead customers about the nature, content, amount, or quality of a product or service, or that falsely characterise it or offer a false promise.