LMD imposes 1.80 lakh fine on West Bengal-based e-commerce platform

Jammu, Mar 29: The Legal Metrology Enforcement Unit Jammu has imposed a penalty of Rs 1.80 lakh on a West Bengal-based e-commerce platform for supplying a customer with less than the declared quantity of a cosmetic healthcare product.

The action followed a written complaint received by the Controller, alleging that the pre-packaged commodity delivered through the platform contained only 50 percent of the declared net quantity.

A subsequent inquiry and quantity measurement test confirmed this discrepancy, which constituted a serious violation of consumer rights and contravened key provisions of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, and the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.

Upon receiving a notice from the department, the defaulting firm refunded the entire amount to the aggrieved customer. In response, the company admitted its violation and applied for departmental compounding—a legal remedy under the act.

The case was subsequently compounded, and a penalty of Rs 1,80,000 was imposed, with the firm assuring immediate compliance with packaging regulations and net quantity corrections.

In an official statement, Controller Legal Metrology J&K Anuradha Gupta reaffirmed the department’s commitment to consumer protection and fair-trade practices, especially within the rapidly growing e commerce sector.

She emphasised that the department would continue its rigorous inspections and enforcement actions to ensure compliance with regulatory norms.