BIS cracks down on e-commerce giants over non-certified products

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has conducted raids on warehouses of major e-commerce platforms, including Amazon and Flipkart, seizing thousands of uncertified consumer products, the consumer affairs ministry said on Saturday.

During a raid on March 7 at an Amazon warehouse in Lucknow, BIS officials seized 215 toys and 24 hand blenders that lacked the mandatory BIS certification, an official statement said.

A similar operation at the e-commerce giant's Gurugram facility in February yielded 58 aluminium foils, 34 metallic water bottles, 25 toys, 20 hand blenders, 7 PVC cables, 2 food mixers and 1 speaker -- all without proper certification.

At a Flipkart warehouse in Gurugram, operated by Instakart Services Pvt Ltd, authorities confiscated 534 stainless steel vacuum-insulated bottles, 134 toys and 41 speakers that failed to meet the required standards.

BIS's investigations revealed that many of these non-certified products were linked to Techvision International Pvt Ltd.

Following this lead, subsequent raids at two of the company's Delhi facilities uncovered approximately 7,000 electric water heaters, 4,000 electric food mixers, 95 electric room heaters, and 40 gas stoves without BIS certification.

According to the ministry, the seized items included products from brands such as Digismart, Activa, Inalsa, Cello Swift, and Butterfly.

"BIS has already filed two court cases against Techvision International for violations of the BIS Act, 2016. Additional cases are in the process of being filed for other seizure operations," the ministry noted.

Offenders face penalties starting at Rs 2 lakh, which may extend up to ten times the value of non-compliant goods sold or offered for sale.

In severe cases, violators could face imprisonment of up to two years under Section 17 of the BIS Act.

The standards authority has issued notices to major e-commerce platforms including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Myntra, and BigBasket, directing them to ensure that only BIS-certified products are listed where certification is mandatory.

During its surveillance activities, BIS has identified that several non-certified products are being sold on these e-commerce platforms, the statement said.

Non-certified products include those that do not bear the ISI mark or bear an ISI mark with an invalid licence number. These non-certified products pose significant safety risks to consumers as they have not undergone independent third-party testing to ensure they meet minimum safety and performance standards.

Consumers have been advised to use the BIS Care App to verify product certification authenticity and report non-compliant items.

The seizures highlight growing concerns over consumer safety as numerous non-certified products continue to be sold online despite government regulations requiring mandatory certification for items like pressure cookers, electrical appliances, and children's toys.

BIS emphasised that market surveillance activities will continue as part of ongoing efforts to protect consumer interests and ensure compliance with safety standards.