On 9 September 2026, the Department of Consumer Affairs notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026. The Rules were made under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and amend the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020. They come into force on 1 January 2027.
The 2020 Rules were drafted when online retail looked quite different. Since then, platforms have changed how they rank products, price them and market them, and consumer complaints have grown. The amendments try to close these gaps without making compliance unreasonably heavy for business. Below is a practical summary of what has changed and who is affected.
1. Changes in duties of all e-commerce entities (Rule 4)