Amazon Fined INR 1 Lakh for Selling Sweets As ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad’, CCPA Says Platform Responsible
Amazon has been fined INR 1 lakh by the CCPA for allowing ordinary sweets to be sold online as ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad’. The watchdog said Amazon cannot escape responsibility by calling itself an intermediary. The order also bars listings using ‘prasad’, ‘mahaprasad’ or ‘bhog’ for 10 major religious institutions without certified permission.
Amazon has been fined INR 1 lakh by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) for allowing ordinary sweets to be sold online as ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad’. The consumer watchdog has also directed the e-commerce platform to deposit the penalty within 15 days, holding that Amazon cannot avoid responsibility by describing itself merely as an intermediary.
The action follows a complaint by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) in January 2024 over sweets sold under the ‘Bihari Brothers’ brand by Chandu Trading Company, Bar and Bench reported. According to the CCPA, the products were marketed using the name of the Ayodhya Ram temple without authenticated permission from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Meta, Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho Fined INR 10 Lakh Each by CCPA for Illegal Walkie-Talkie Sales.
CCPA Finds Misleading Prasad Claims
The products included ghee laddoos, khoya laddoos, boondi laddoos and cow’s milk peda. They were listed with descriptions such as ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad’ and labels referring to “Lord Ram’s blessings”. The CCPA said such descriptions could lead consumers to believe that the sweets were genuine prasad associated with the Ram temple.
No Authorisation From Ram Temple Trust
According to the CCPA, no authentic permission or approval had been obtained from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to sell the sweets using the temple’s name or represent them as its prasad. The authority took action following a complaint filed by the Confederation of All India Traders in January 2024. Ayodhya Ram Mandir Donation Row: Why UP Government Formed SIT and What the Probe Has Found So Far.
CCPA Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra said devotees could naturally assume that products carrying such a description were genuine temple prasad. The authority held that commercial use of the temple’s name without permission could hurt the religious sentiments of millions of consumers.
The CCPA had initially issued a notice to Amazon in January 2024 over similar listings, saying that such representations could mislead consumers about the genuine characteristics of the products.
Rules Extended To 10 Major Religious Institutions
The CCPA has also widened the scope of its directions beyond the Ayodhya Ram temple. Amazon has been directed not to allow products to be listed using terms such as ‘prasad’, ‘mahaprasad’ or ‘bhog’ in the name of 10 major religious institutions without certified permission from the respective institution.
The restrictions cover prominent shrines including the Ram Janmabhoomi, Tirupati Devasthanam, Mata Vaishno Devi and Jagannath Temple. The move seeks to prevent sellers from using the names of major religious institutions to market ordinary products as authentic offerings.
Amazon Cannot Escape Responsibility As ‘Intermediary’
The CCPA also rejected the argument that Amazon is merely an intermediary and therefore should not be held responsible for such listings. The authority has directed Amazon to ensure that complete information about sellers and its grievance officer is clearly available on the platform.
The order places greater responsibility on the e-commerce platform to scrutinise how products linked to religious institutions are described and marketed to consumers. The CCPA’s action also reinforces existing consumer-protection rules governing misleading claims and unfair trade practices on e-commerce platforms.
What The CCPA Order Means
The CCPA’s order means sellers cannot use the names of major temples or religious institutions alongside terms such as ‘prasad’, ‘mahaprasad’ or ‘bhog’ unless they have certified authorisation from the institution concerned.
The case also highlights the regulatory scrutiny faced by online marketplaces over product descriptions created or used by third-party sellers.
The CCPA’s January 2024 action had already required Amazon to respond to the allegations and warned that failure to comply could lead to further action under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The latest penalty now puts the responsibility of preventing such misleading listings more firmly on the platform, according to the consumer watchdog.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 19, 2026 06:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
