Meta moves Delhi HC against CCPA fine for walkie-talkie sale on Facebook

Meta on Wednesday (March 18, 2026) challenged in the Delhi High Court a Central Consumer Protection Authority order imposing a ₹10 lakh penalty on it for alleged unauthorised sale and listing of walkie-talkies on the Facebook Marketplace.

Meta’s counsel submitted that, unlike Amazon and Flipkart, Facebook was not an e-market but merely a “notice board”, and therefore, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has no jurisdiction over it.

The court posted Meta’s petition for hearing on March 25, asking it to explain how the order can be termed “without jurisdiction”. It also asked Meta why the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission cannot consider the issue.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Meta, argued that Facebook neither provides a mechanism for sale and purchase nor does it charge any commission from the users, as it is not an e-commerce platform.

“This is a notice board meant only for Facebook users. We are not a shop. No commercial sales are allowed. No consideration is charged. We don’t charge anybody,” the senior counsel said.

The CCPA, in its order passed on January 1, 2026, held that Meta violated the Consumer Protection Act and its rules and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules by allegedly permitting walkie-talkie listings on Facebook Marketplace without mandatory disclosures.

Meta, however, claimed that the CCPA acted in excess of its jurisdiction by acting on the “untenable” premise that Facebook Marketplace was subject to and governed by the legal framework for e-commerce.

In its January 1 order, the CCPA also directed Meta to ensure that no walkie-talkies or any other product requiring statutory approval/certification is listed, hosted, advertised or sold on its platform without full compliance with applicable laws and mandatory disclosures.

It also asked Meta to periodically undertake a self-audit to check deceptive listings and publish a certificate of such self-audit on its website in the public and consumer interest.