As many as 15 notices have been issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) against e-commerce companies and sellers for selling pressure cookers online that are non-compliant with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms. These notices have been issed by the CCPA as part of its suo moto action. The BIS has also issued three notices for violation of quality control order of domestic pressure cookers and two notices for helmets. Previously, CCPA had also issued Safety Notice to alert consumers against buying helmets, pressure cookers and cooking gas cylinders which violate compulsory standards. Goods which violate compulsory standards are liable to be held ‘defective’ under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The cases have also been forwarded to Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for taking necessary action under the BIS Act, 2016, it said. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs said that Goods which violate compulsory standards are liable to be held ‘defective’ under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The ministry said the CCPA has decided to take up cases involving sale or offering for sale goods that violate compulsory standards as a matter of preventing unfair trade practice and to protect, promote and enforce the rights of consumers as a class.
Any person found selling 11 household items like helmets, pressure cooker, electric iron, microwave oven, aluminium foil for food packaging, water heaters and sewing machines — without conforming to compulsory standards and holding valid licence as prescribed by BIS is liable for violation of consumer rights and unfair trade practices and face action under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
As part of celebrations of 75 years of India’s independence ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the CCPA has already initiated a country-wide campaign to prevent sale of spurious and counterfeit goods that violate QCOs and raise awareness among consumers to purchase goods that conform to BIS Standards.
In this regard, the CCPA has written to District Collectors across the country to investigate unfair trade practice and violation of consumer rights concerning manufacture or sale of helmets, domestic pressure cooker and cooking gas cylinders. The government said that violation of standards mandated by the QCOs cannot only endanger public safety, it can make consumers vulnerable to severe injuries.
“This is a critical cause for concern especially in the case of household goods, since such goods are present in most homes and are in the immediate vicinity of family members,” it said. To protect consumers from risk of suffering injury and harm and ensure required safety and technical standards are followed, the central government is empowered to direct conformity to standard and compulsory use of standard mark under Section 16 of BIS Act. These directions are generally published in the form of Quality Control Orders (QCO).