Consumer Online Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation under Bejon Kumar Misra, on Wednesday expressed their deep concern on the extension of deadline to seek comments on draft e-commerce rules in India citing consumer ramifications in the long run.
The government extended the deadline for suggestions and feedback on the proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, till August 6 as against July 6th.
The ministry released the draft e-commerce rules on June 21, prohibiting "fraudulent" flash sales, as well as mis-selling of goods and services on e-commerce platforms. Other amendments of the draft rules include appointing a chief compliance officer or grievance redressal officer.
Commenting on the draft e-commerce deadline extension by the Government, Bejon Misra, Founder Trustee of Consumer Online Foundation said, "The draft to amend the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020 is a step in the right direction to tighten the legal norms on the e-commerce platforms which were having a field day until recently, but the extension is setback to protect and strengthen the rights of consumers."
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"The demand for extension in time is a delaying tactic by a few e-commerce giants. India being a promising mode of future business in India in the e-commerce space, there is a strong need to have organised rules to protect and safeguard the rights of consumers," Misra added.
The government has proposed substantive changes and making some much-needed additions in the law to control the unfair trade practices that are widely prevalent in the e-commerce ecosystem. The structuring out of the definition of e-entities and introducing the concepts of cross-selling and fallback liability will eliminate the abounding confusion even as it reduces the scope of frauds.
These draft rules should not be seen as shooting in the foot in a bid to tighten the noose on e-commerce players, instead making the law a win-win for the consumers, the traders and the regulators all together.
Misra and his team had submitted their recommendations on the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 in the last week of June 2021.
