---
title: "India Tightens E-Commerce Rules to Curb Fake Discounts and Search Manipulation"
english_title: "India Tightens E-Commerce Rules on Fake Discounts and Search Manipulation"
publisher: "Truevision English News"
canonical_url: "https://english.truevisionnews.com/news/382063/india-tightens-ecommerce-rules-fake-discounts-search-manipulation"
published_at: "2026-09-11T05:27:00+05:30"
category: "Big Story"
language: "en"
image: "https://cf.zdn.im/img/truevisionnews.com/0/image-uploads/6aa34676920ae_india-tightens-ecommerce-rules-fake-discounts-search-manipulation.jpg"
keywords: ["e-commerce rules", "fake discounts", "search manipulation", "consumer protection", "online shopping", "National Consumer Helpline"]
---

# India Tightens E-Commerce Rules to Curb Fake Discounts and Search Manipulation

> **Lead Summary:** **New Delhi: **The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs has introduced stricter amendments to e-commerce rules to curb misleading advertisements, manipulation of search results and fake discounts on online shopping platforms. The amendments to the Consumer Protection Rules will come into effect on January 1, 2027.

## Article Content

**New Delhi: **The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs has introduced stricter amendments to e-commerce rules to curb misleading advertisements, manipulation of search results and fake discounts on online shopping platforms. The amendments to the Consumer Protection Rules will come into effect on January 1, 2027.

Under the new amendments, all e-commerce platforms will be required to establish a direct connection with the government’s National Consumer Helpline. Platforms will also have to provide consumers with a copy of the complaints they submit. In 2025, the National Consumer Helpline received 17,71,622 complaints, of which around 29 per cent, or 5,11,196 complaints, were related to the e-commerce sector.

The amended rules also prohibit changes to search results in a manner that could mislead consumers or affect web searches. Posts that receive paid prominence in search results will have to carry clear disclosures indicating that they are sponsored.

The new measures also seek to prevent consumers from being misled through fake discounts. Under the rules, sellers will not be able to increase the price of a product before announcing a discount and then reduce it again to advertise the lower price as a discount. When a discount is offered, e-commerce platforms must clearly display the lowest price at which the product was sold during the previous 30 days along with the discounted price.

The rules further require platforms to comply with the 2023 guidelines aimed at preventing ‘dark pattern’ designs that pressure consumers into making purchases. These include tactics suggesting that products are about to sell out or that only a limited number remain. Companies will also be required to conduct self-audits every year and display a compliance certificate on their platforms.

Platforms must clearly provide information about product expiry dates, return and refund conditions, warranties and delivery details. For imported products, information about the country of manufacture and the importer must also be disclosed. The amendments also prohibit the use of consumer information without clear consent and the charging of fees for services unrelated to the transaction.

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