SC Notices Snapdeal Over Karnataka Plea On ED Drug Sale Without Prescription
Supreme Court issued notice to Snapdeal on Karnataka's plea challenging quashed criminal proceedings over online sale of prescription ED drug Suhagra without prescription. Case tests marketplace intermediary safe harbour under Section 79 IT Act against Drugs and Cosmetics Act liability. Hearing set for August 10.
What happened
Supreme Court issued notice to Snapdeal on Karnataka's plea challenging quashed criminal proceedings over online sale of prescription ED drug without
Key facts
- Section 79 IT Act
- Rs 5 lakh CCPA fine
Why this matters
Diligence on any e-commerce or online-pharmacy target should now stress-test intermediary safe-harbour assumptions and quantify contingent regulatory exposure pending this precedent-setting Snapdeal ruling.
What to watch
- August 10 hearing outcome and any interim directions
- Whether SC clubs matter with pending e-pharmacy regulation cases
- CDSCO / Health Ministry stance filed in the proceedings
- Any expansion of notice to other marketplaces or pharma sellers
- Government progress on draft e-pharmacy rules
- Snapdeal and peer marketplaces (Amazon, Flipkart, 1mg) tighten Schedule H/prescription-drug listing controls preemptively
- Platforms deploy prescription-upload verification and seller KYC for pharma categories
- Industry bodies (IAMAI) file intervention applications to protect intermediary framework
- Legal teams re-audit compliance across CDSCO Drug rules and IT Rules 2021 due-diligence clauses