On September 9, 2026, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (“DCA“) notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (“Amendment Rules“), introducing significant changes to the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 (“Principal Rules“). The Amendment Rules will come into force on January 1, 2027, giving e-commerce entities roughly 3 (three) months to align their platforms, disclosures and internal processes with the new framework. The Amendment Rules target several long-standing concerns flagged by the DCA, including opaque ranking algorithms, dark patterns, fake discounting and the use of platform data to favour private label sellers.
Redefining Ranking
The Amendment Rules substitute a new, technology neutral definition of ‘ranking’, covering the relative prominence or relevance given to sellers, or to goods or services offered through a marketplace e-commerce entity, as presented, organised or communicated by that entity, irrespective of the technological means used. The revised definition is intended to capture manipulation through any means, not merely algorithmic sorting, bringing curated lists, filters and search results within its scope.
Grievance Redressal and Baseline Disclosures
All e-commerce entities must now prominently display their legal name, the principal geographic address of their headquarters and branches, website details and contact information for both customer care and the grievance officer. The grievance officer must acknowledge a consumer complaint within 48 (forty-eight) hours, share a copy of the recorded complaint with the complainant, and resolve it within one month of receipt. Further, where an entity sells imported goods or services, it must disclose the importer’s details and the country of origin in line with the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, and every e-commerce entity must now participate in the convergence process of the National Consumer Helpline.
Curbing Manipulation and Dark Patterns
The Amendment Rules add teeth to the DCA’s ongoing campaign against dark patterns. Entities are now barred from misleading users by manipulating search results or indexes having regard to a user’s search query. Sponsored listings must carry clear and prominent disclosure, distinguishing them from organic results. Where a platform or seller announces a price reduction, it must display the ‘prior price’ alongside the discounted price, defined as the lowest price charged for that good or service in the thirty days preceding the announcement, a direct response to inflated reference pricing used to simulate discounts. Invoices must display the seller’s name in a font size equal to that of the e-commerce entity’s own name. Entities are also required to certify annual self-audits confirming their platforms are free of dark patterns, consistent with the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, and display that certificate prominently.
New Obligations for Marketplace Entities
The Amendment Rules expand pre-purchase seller disclosures to expressly include seller ratings or aggregated feedback where available. Marketplace entities must also, on a consumer’s written request made after purchase, disclose the seller’s headquarters and branch addresses, website and email details necessary for dispute resolution, a meaningful shift from the earlier post sale opacity around seller identity. Marketplace entities must also publish, in plain and intelligible language, an explanation of the main ranking parameters in descending order of significance and their relative importance.
Two new provisions in the Amendment Rules address self-preferencing concerns that have long troubled Indian marketplaces. A marketplace entity is barred from using consumer information it collects to enable direct or indirect sale of goods bearing a brand or name common with its own, or to promote any seller as being associated with the marketplace entity, unless it has obtained express and affirmative consent from the relevant consumers. Marketplace entities are also barred from levying bundled fees for services unrelated to the e-commerce platform, though this does not extend to loyalty or membership programmes.
Obligations on Inventory Entities and Sellers
Inventory e-commerce entities must disclose country of origin, best before or use before dates, and detailed return, refund, exchange and warranty information, alongside any Central Government issued identification number, including the GST Identification Number or MSME registration number. A parallel obligation requires sellers to accurately disclose similar information directly to consumers. Across all these provisions, a consistent proviso preserves the primacy of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 for best before and use before date disclosures on food products.
Conclusion
Taken together, the Amendment Rules mark the DCA’s most substantive intervention in e-commerce regulation since the Principal Rules were notified in 2020. The new ranking transparency, anti-dark pattern and self-preferencing obligations echo concerns that have featured in ongoing Competition Commission of India proceedings against major marketplaces, suggesting a convergence between consumer protection and competition regulation in this space. With the Amendment Rules coming into force on January 1, 2027, e-commerce entities, marketplace operators and sellers must review their disclosure practices, discount mechanics, invoicing formats and data use policies well ahead of the deadline.
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