India: Consumer Trading & Unfair Trading

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.

India's food safety regulator has challenged Diageo's Royal Challenge whisky labeling, questioning claims about maturation in American oak casks and the presence of imported Scotch. The FSSAI's enforcement action raises critical questions about how alcoholic beverage manufacturers substantiate age claims, ingredient disclosures, and product characteristics under India's evolving regulatory framework.

India's food safety regulator has issued a stark warning to celebrities and social media influencers: verify health and nutritional claims before promoting food products, or face potential legal consequences. As influencer advertising violations surge to over 21% of all advertising complaints, the question of accountability has moved from public backlash to formal regulatory scrutiny, with recent show-cause notices issued to major Bollywood stars.

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 empowers consumers with six fundamental rights, ensuring fairness, transparency, and protection against exploitation.

In a notable victory for consumer rights, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Gurugram, on July 2, 2025, ruled in favour of Vedant Verma, a consumer who received a second-hand Nokia phone...

DCDRC, Ernakulam, Kerala, while considering the matter where an ex-student of VLCC Institute who had enrolled in 2 courses, cancelled her admission due to delays in classes and her weak health, and had claimed a refund from the institute, ...

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (hereinafter referred to as the "CCPA") on 30th November, 2023 released the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 18 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, has notified the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023 on November 30, 2023.

Dark Patterns‘ are deceptive online interface designs that are used to trick people into making decisions that are in the interests of the online business...