"Consumer protection law is increasingly being used as an instrument of public safety regulation." Examine with reference to CCPA's recent action against online sale of explosive substances.

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 was written to protect consumer rights. However, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), set up under Section 10, is now using it to regulate hazardous goods. Its 2026 action against online listings of regulated explosives shows this clearly. It also shows where the approach stops working.

Consumer law as a public-safety tool: the explosives case

• Legal basis: Listings of Ammonium Nitrate, PETN, Picric Acid and Gunpowder without a licence were held to be a misleading advertisement (Sec 2(28)) and an unfair trade practice (Sec 2(47)), read with the Explosives Act, 1884 and the Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012 [1].
• Platform duty: Marketplaces must show the seller's PESO licence and check the buyer's identity and licence before a sale [1].
• Results: 3,940 sellers were disclosed and all listings delisted. Three ₹10 lakh orders were passed, and the NCDRC upheld the Dial4Trade order [1]. CCPA also worked with PESO [2].
• A pattern of earlier cases: CCPA issued a safety notice on acid sales [4]. In the Snapdeal toys order, it held that relying only on seller self-declaration is not enough [3].

Limitations

• Jurisdiction: IndiaMART has challenged the notices through a writ in the Delhi High Court [1]. PRS notes that a marketplace holds no stock, so it cannot easily check its sellers' claims [5].
• Mostly business buyers: Most buyers on B2B platforms are businesses, not household consumers. This makes it harder to say whose consumer rights were harmed.
• Delisting is not seizure: Only PESO and the police can inspect premises or seize stock under the Explosives Act [7].
• Weak deterrence: The fine is flat. ExportersIndia hosted 421 sellers and paid ₹20 lakh, about as much as Dial4Trade's ₹10 lakh for 11 sellers. IndiaMART, with 3,092 sellers, has no final order yet [1].
• Reactive approach: Each product category needs a fresh investigation by the DG–Investigation [1].

Way forward

• Add a list of regulated goods to the amended E-Commerce Rules [6]. Such goods could not be listed without a licence number the platform has checked.
• Use PESO's paperless licensing to let platforms check licences in real time [7]. PESO should also publish what it did about the 3,940 sellers.

Consumer law has filled a real gap in internal security by making platforms accountable. Still, it can only support specialist regulators, not replace them. A clear rulebook that brings CCPA and PESO together would protect both public safety under Article 21 and ease of doing business.