E-com norms to be mandatory by year-end: Indian minister

02 Sep '19

2 min read

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Indian e-commerce guidelines, currently advisory in nature, will become mandatory once the rules are framed for the recently passed Consumer Protection Act, 2019, according to minister for consumer affairs Ram Vilas Paswan, who said the ministry would invite suggestions on the rules by September 15 and the rules would be notified by December.

The minister recently convened a meeting of members of parliament to discuss the new Consumer Protection Act and the proposed rules. The meeting discussed the e-commerce at length.

He clarified there is no ambiguity regarding medical care and hospitals not coming under the purview of new act, unlike the 1986 act. The new act will cover all services, even if all of them have not been listed in the act, an official release quoted the minister as saying.

Apart from healthcare, education, banking and electricity are also under the ambit of the act.

The e-commerce entities need to display terms of contract with the seller relating to return, refund, exchange, warranty/guarantee, delivery/shipment mode of payment and grievance redressal mechanism. As per the circulated draft guidelines, e-commerce firms have to give a 14-day deadline for refund requests, display details of sellers supplying goods and services on their Websites and moot the procedure to resolve consumer complaints. (DS)

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