CCPA fines Meesho Rs 10 lakh over unregistered herbicide sales

India's 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 authority determined that Meesho neglected its responsibility to verify seller licenses and prevent misleading product descriptions on its platform.

The CCPA has ordered Meesho to cease such sales, conduct an audit of its platform, and submit a compliance report within 15 days. The investigation originated from a complaint filed in January 2026 by the Crop Care Federation of India to the Agriculture Ministry concerning the online sale of a product marketed as Cyclosinone Herbicide. By February 2026, the ministry confirmed the chemical lacked registration under India's insecticide regulations and forwarded the complaint.

An investigation revealed that 282 sellers listed the unregistered herbicide 3,537 times on Meesho between July 19, 2025, and March 23, 2026. These listings resulted in the sale of over 93,000 units. While described as a low-toxicity weed killer, the listings omitted crucial details about the chemical's composition, active ingredients, and regulatory status.

Meesho had argued it was merely a marketplace and that third-party sellers had fraudulently created the listings. However, the CCPA rejected this defense, stating that Meesho holds independent responsibilities under consumer protection and insecticide laws. The authority asserted that a platform cannot profit from transactions while disclaiming accountability.

This is not the first time Meesho has faced penalties from the CCPA. In December 2025, the platform was fined Rs 10 lakh for selling walkie-talkies without mandatory approvals, a similar lapse in ensuring regulatory compliance.