India: Consumer Law

In this episode of IndiaLaw LLP Podcast Bite, Divyansh examines the growing regulatory focus on dark patterns in e-commerce and the Central Consumer Protection Authority’s push for platforms to conduct self-audits.

This newsletter is prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are encouraged to reach out to the relevant practice group at Hammurabi & Solomon Partners for advice on specific facts and circumstances.

India's consumer protection authority has begun actively penalizing companies for using manipulative interface designs, marking a decisive shift from advisory warnings to enforcement action. Recent cases against major platforms reveal how pre-selected checkboxes, guilt-inducing language, and misleading button labels are now being prosecuted as unfair trade practices.

This comprehensive newsletter examines critical regulatory developments across Legal Metrology, Food Safety, and Agricultural Laws in India during June 2026. From e-commerce country-of-origin filters and fuel dispenser verification reforms to FSSAI's digital compliance initiatives and nano-fertilizer frameworks, the edition covers essential updates impacting manufacturers, exporters, food business operators, and agri-businesses navigating India's evolving regulatory landscape.

India’s aviation sector is expanding at an unprecedented pace. With rising passenger traffic, increasing airline competition, digital ticketing platforms and growing consumer awareness, passenger disputes have become...

When an airline unilaterally prepones a flight without informing passengers, leaving them stranded at an international airport, what remedies are available under consumer law? The State Consumer Commission in Chandigarh addressed this precise question, examining whether nominal compensation adequately reflects the hardship of passengers forced to purchase fresh tickets and miss connecting flights due to an airline's failure to communicate schedule changes.

APTEL, vide judgement dated 27.04.2026 in Appeal Nos. 190 of 2019 and 216 of 2019 titled Damodar Valley Corporation v West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission & Another, dismissed the appeals filed by Damodar Valley Corporation (“DVC”), upholding the finding of the West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (“WBERC”) that radial mode of supply by a generating company to a distribution licensee cannot be considered as sale to a consumer.

Since the publication of an earlier article examining the evolving contours of the “average consumer test in an informed society” [Read here: https://ssrana.in/articles/the-average-consumer-test-in-an-informed-society/], the Division Bench of the Delhi High Court has now delivered its judgment in Mountain Valley Springs India Pvt. Ltd. Vs. Baby Forest Ayurveda Pvt. Ltd. FAO (OS) (COMM) 111/2024, decided on February 27, 2026.

The Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”), by notification dated 21.04.2026 , has notified the Digital Payments – E-mandate Framework, 2026 (“DP Directions”) to consolidate all circulars pertaining to e-mandates.