Pramesh S Jain
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS),Bangalore Branch Office on tuesday conducted a search and seizure operation at the largest warehouse in South India operated by Instakart Services Private Limited,trading under the name Flipkart for allegedly storing and selling sub standard products.
According to the official release,the firm was allegedly storing and selling products that violated the Quality Control Orders (QCOs) issued by the Government of India and the BIS Act,2016.
During the operation, it was found that several product models seized from the premises were not licensed, misused the ISI mark and Registration mark,and were in violation of the terms and conditions of the BIS license.
Some of these products fall under the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS),while others are subject to Mandatory Certification by BIS,in accordance with the QCOs,the release,said .
These orders mandate that no product shall be manufactured or sold without a valid BIS license and compliance with the relevant Indian Standards.
Approximately 104 varieties,comprising around 17,500 units—including wireless earbuds,Bluetooth earphones, speakers,toys,footwear,cables,and more—were found in violation and subsequently seized.
The estimated market value of the seized items is around Rs.2.5 crore.
The BIS team,led by Narender Reddy Beesu (Director) and his team Vinodini Kishore (Director), Premlata Sinha (Joint Director),and Piyush Kumar Gupta (Assistant Director),confirmed that a case will be filed in a court of law.
Consumers are urged to always verify the BIS Standard Mark (ISI mark) and license number of manufacturers before making any purchases.
The authenticity of a license and the relevant Indian Standard can be verified through the BIS CARE mobile app.
During the operation,the team also educated the warehouse personnel on how to check product compliance before allowing sellers to store goods on the premises.
Legal action will be initiated against the firm under Section 17(3) read with Section 29 of the BIS Act, 2016.
The Act provides for imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of not less than two lakh for the first offence.For subsequent offences,the fine shall not be less than five lakh rupees and may extend up to ten times the value of the goods,or both,as determined by the court.
BIS continues to conduct regular search and seizure operations based on reports of misuse,aiming to protect the public from deceptive practices and the circulation of substandard or counterfeit products.
Anyone with information regarding the misuse of the ISI mark,BIS registration mark,or BIS hallmark is encouraged to report it confidentially via email,letter,or through the BIS CARE mobile app.
