India plans tighter e-commerce rules amid complaints over Amazon, Flipkart

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India proposed banning flash sales on e-commerce websites and said on Monday their affiliate entities should not be listed as sellers on their platforms, in a proposed tightening of rules that could hit Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs’ rules, which were released in a government statement, come amid complaints by brick-and-mortar retailers that foreign e-commerce players bypass Indian laws by using complex business structures.

Amazon and Flipkart say they comply with all Indian laws. Amazon said on Monday it was reviewing the draft rules and had no immediate comment, while Walmart’s Flipkart did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.