FIR charged on Snapdeal’s CEO Kunal Bahl for selling prescription medicines online

On Friday Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration had ordered for a First Information Report (FIR) to be filed against Internet shopping company Snapdeal’s CEO Kunal Bahl and also its directors for selling online the prescription drugs.

Harshadeep Kamble who is commissioner of FDA told that he has the order to file FIR against CEO and directors of the Snapdeal. As there were many complaints against the company the FDA had disguised themselves as customers, ordered few medicines from this website, they were be sold only through a proper doctor’s prescription and only a licensed pharmacist can sell them. When the company was caught selling these medicines their godowns were raided by the FDA and then later the company told that these drugs will be taken off from the website. When the investigation was made, it was found that some Jasper Infotech Private Limited company had done agreements with many dealers in India where they would provide medicines to be exhibited for sale on their website and then they would be taking the sale proceeds on behalf of them. It also found that nearly 45 of the drugs that were shown disobeyed the requirements of Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.

If they sold these drugs it would amount to contravening the Sections 18(c) 18A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 was suggested by Mr Kamble. Other online shopping website company will also come under the scrutiny of the FDA, like Amazon and Flipkart. Snapdeal Company said that it is an online marketplace that brings buyers and sellers together by providing different kinds of products. Usually the sellers who sell their products online on this website are the retailers, small business people, distributors who sell even offline and Snapdeal is just an intercessor between the buyer and seller of these products by giving its platform to do the business. Whenever we get complaints on any seller who goes against the rules or sells inappropriate products they are delisted from selling. The company also said that it is co-operating FDA team while investigation process is going on and some of the products on which they received complaint have been delisted.

by Sushma Javare.