In a major move to curb the sale of non-compliant products on e-commerce platforms, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has conducted multiple search and seizure operations at warehouses linked to leading online retailers, including Amazon and Flipkart.
The raids, which took place in cities such as Lucknow, Gurugram, and Delhi, uncovered a significant number of uncertified consumer goods, prompting legal action against those responsible.
During a recent inspection on March 7 at an Amazon warehouse in Lucknow, BIS officials seized 215 toys and 24 hand blenders, all lacking the mandatory BIS certification. A similar raid in February at an Amazon facility in Gurugram led to the confiscation of 58 aluminium foils, 34 metallic water bottles, 25 toys, 20 hand blenders, seven PVC cables, two food mixers, and one speaker - none of which were BIS-certified.
Flipkart was also found to be selling non-compliant goods.
A warehouse in Gurugram, operated by Instakart Services Pvt Ltd, was found to be storing 534 uncertified vacuum-insulated stainless steel bottles, 134 toys, and 41 speakers.
Further investigations traced these non-certified products back to Techvision International Pvt Ltd. Acting on this lead, BIS conducted raids at two Techvision International facilities in Delhi, uncovering a massive stockpile of non-certified products. The seized items included approximately 7,000 electric water heaters, 4,000 electric food mixers, 95 electric room heaters, and 40 gas stoves, all lacking BIS certification.
Several well-known brands such as Digismart, Activa, Inalsa, Cello Swift, and Butterfly were among those found selling non-certified goods.
Taking a strict stance, BIS has initiated legal proceedings under the BIS Act, 2016, to hold those responsible accountable. The agency has already filed two cases against Techvision International Pvt Ltd, with additional legal actions being planned for other entities involved.
The Bureau of Indian Standards has ramped up market surveillance to ensure that consumer goods sold both offline and online comply with safety and quality regulations.
As part of this initiative, BIS purchases commonly used products - including pressure cookers, hand blenders, food mixers, electric irons, room heaters, PVC cables, gas stoves, toys, helmets, switches, sockets, and aluminium foils - and subjects them to stringent testing to verify compliance with prescribed safety standards.
Despite BIS certification being mandatory for these products, numerous non-certified items have been found on major e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Myntra, and BigBasket. These products either lack the ISI mark or carry an ISI mark with an invalid license number, making them a potential safety hazard for consumers.
The large-scale seizures highlight the urgent need for online retailers to exercise stricter oversight in ensuring that only BIS-certified products are listed for sale. The government has reiterated the importance of compliance, emphasising that uncertified products pose serious safety risks as they have not undergone independent third-party testing to meet minimum safety and performance standards.