Quick commerce rules and regulations in India

Updated October 2026

India has no single quick commerce law. Apps follow gig-worker labour laws, FSSAI food-safety rules at dark stores, local zoning, consumer rules on dark patterns and limits on foreign ownership. In January 2026 the government also asked them to stop promising 10-minute delivery.

Food-safety complaints go to your state food-safety department, fee and pricing complaints to the National Consumer Helpline (1915), and rider issues to the labour department.

General information only. It is not legal advice. For the current position, check the official source: the Ministry of Labour and Employment, FSSAI (and your state food-safety department), the Department of Consumer Affairs and CCPA, DPIIT for foreign-investment rules, or a lawyer.

Who regulates quick commerce in India

Problem	Authority	More help
Expired or unsafe food, dirty stores	State food-safety department and FSSAI	dark store raids and licence suspensions
Store licences: FSSAI, trade licence, fire NOC	FSSAI, municipal body, state fire service	dark store licence checklist
Dark store in a residential area	Municipal corporation or development authority	dark stores in residential areas
Hidden fees, misleading prices, dark patterns	Central Consumer Protection Authority; National Consumer Helpline (1915)	delivery charges compared
Rider pay, ID blocking, social security	Ministry of Labour and Employment; state labour department	gig worker rights and pay
Predatory pricing and deep discounts	Competition Commission of India (CCI)	the distributors’ complaint and kiranas
Foreign ownership and inventory model	DPIIT (foreign-investment policy)	why some apps own their stock

Quick commerce rule changes and government action, 2025 to 2026

20 Feb 2025

Distributors complain to the competition regulator

The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) first wrote to the CCI in October 2024. In February 2025 it filed a complaint against Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart over predatory pricing and deep discounts, with price comparisons for 100 products. The CCI opened a preliminary inquiry into Blink Commerce, Bundl Technologies (Instamart) and Zepto in 2025. No formal investigation order has been made public.
18 Apr 2025

Eternal caps foreign ownership at 49.5%

Indian rules stop foreign-owned companies from selling their own stock to consumers online. By staying Indian-owned and controlled, Eternal let Blinkit move to an inventory-led model from the June 2025 quarter.
Jun 2025

Blinkit store licence suspended in Pune

Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration inspected Blinkit’s Balewadi dark store on 5 June 2025 and suspended its food licence. The store reopened later that month once the licence was renewed.
12 Sep 2025

Karnataka notifies its gig-worker law

Karnataka’s Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025 was notified, replacing a May 2025 ordinance, and counts as in force from 30 May 2025. A platform must give 14 days’ notice and written reasons before ending a rider’s contract, and pay a welfare fee on payouts. Platforms have challenged the law in the High Court.
Nov 2025

Apps audit themselves for dark patterns

26 e-commerce platforms told the Consumer Affairs Ministry they had checked their apps for manipulative design, known as dark patterns.
21 Nov 2025

Gig workers get legal status

The Code on Social Security, 2020 came into force. It recognises delivery partners as gig and platform workers. Platforms will have to pay 1–2% of turnover into a social security fund, from a date still to be notified.
Dec 2025

Zepto fined for dark patterns

The Central Consumer Protection Authority fined Zepto ₹7 lakh for drip pricing and for pre-selecting its paid pass at checkout without clear consent.
30 Dec 2025

Distributors object to quick commerce IPOs

AICPDF wrote to SEBI opposing stock market listings by loss-making quick commerce companies.
13 Jan 2026

Government asks apps to drop the 10-minute promise

Gig workers went on strike on 25 and 31 December 2025. Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya then met the platforms and asked them to stop promising 10-minute delivery, for rider safety. Blinkit changed its tagline to “30,000+ products delivered to your doorstep”. Zepto switched to “Groceries in minutes”, and Instamart and Flipkart Minutes dropped their 10-minute branding. The minister made a request, not a written rule.
29 Mar 2026

Telangana passes its gig-worker law

The Telangana Assembly passed a law for a welfare board, a unique ID for each worker and 7 days’ notice before a platform ends a rider’s contract. The state aimed to enforce it from 15 August 2026, but on 8 August its rules were still not notified and its welfare board was not yet set up.
8 May 2026

Social security rules for gig workers notified

The Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 set out how gig and platform workers qualify and register on e-Shram. The date from which platforms must pay 1–2% of turnover into the welfare fund, capped at 5% of what they pay gig workers, has still not been notified.
Jun 2026

FSSAI notices to Blinkit

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India sent Blinkit two notices over spoiled food.
Jul 2026

Karnataka High Court refuses to stay the gig-worker law

The court declined to halt Karnataka’s Act and asked platforms to deposit the 1% welfare fee while the challenge by Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto and IAMAI is heard. The case is still going on.
7–11 Aug 2026

Food-safety action in Mumbai and Bengaluru

Maharashtra’s FDA suspended the licence of Blinkit’s Malad West facility over expired stock and pests. Karnataka’s food-safety department sealed Zepto’s Hoskote warehouse.
18 Aug 2026

Swiggy caps foreign ownership

Swiggy shareholders approved a 49.5% cap on foreign ownership so Instamart can move to an inventory-led model. They had rejected an earlier proposal in May 2026.
30 Sep 2026

Food-safety drive in Hyderabad

Telangana’s food-safety authority inspected 16 dark stores and suspended the FSSAI licences of four: two Instamart stores, one Zepto store and one Flipkart Minutes store.

What the rules mean for you

If you shop on quick commerce apps

Every fee should show before you pay. Hidden or late-added charges (drip pricing) and items slipped into your cart are dark patterns, and the CCPA has fined an app for them.
If you get expired or spoiled food, photograph it with the label and ask for a refund in the app chat. For a store-level hygiene problem, complain to your state food-safety department as well.
For any unresolved complaint, call the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 with your order ID.

If you deliver for an app

Register on e-Shram so you can claim central benefits once the welfare fund starts paying.
In Karnataka and Telangana, the platform must give notice and written reasons before ending your contract. Elsewhere, the app’s partner terms decide.
No rule says you must deliver within 10 minutes.

If you rent out or run a dark store

A store selling food needs an FSSAI licence or registration, plus a municipal trade licence and a fire NOC.
Check local zoning before leasing a residential building, because municipal bodies can act against stores in housing areas.

Frequently asked questions about quick commerce rules

Where can I complain about a quick delivery app?

Start with chat support in the app and keep your order ID. If the app does not fix it, write to its grievance officer, then call the National Consumer Helpline on 1915. For a formal case, file online with the consumer commission through e-Daakhil. You can also report unsafe food to your state food-safety department.

Is 10-minute delivery banned in India?

No law bans it. In January 2026 the Labour Minister asked the apps to stop advertising 10-minute delivery, and Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart and Flipkart Minutes changed their branding. The request is not a written rule, and your order can still arrive quickly.

Do dark stores need a food licence?

Yes. A dark store that stores and sells food needs an FSSAI licence or registration, and state food-safety officers can suspend it.

Why are Eternal and Swiggy capping foreign ownership?

India’s foreign-investment rules let foreign-owned e-commerce companies run only marketplaces. They cannot sell their own stock. Keeping foreign ownership below 50% makes Eternal and Swiggy Indian-owned and controlled, so Blinkit and Instamart can buy and sell inventory directly.

Complaints and refunds: rules that apply to every app

Each app's own complaint route is on its customer care page. The same rules apply to all of them.

Grievance officer. Under the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, every platform must publish a grievance officer's name and contact details on its own site. The officer must acknowledge a complaint within 48 hours and resolve it within one month.
Cancellation fees. The same rules bar a platform from charging a cancellation fee unless it bears similar charges when it cancels an order itself. A fee that breaks the rule is worth disputing in the app and then with the grievance officer.
Money deducted, no order. Under an RBI circular of 20 September 2019, a failed UPI payment to a merchant must be reversed within five days (T+5). After that, the bank owes you ₹100 a day. Raise it with your bank or UPI app as well as with the app.
Wrong, damaged or expired items. Before you open or throw anything away, photograph the item, the label with the expiry date and the bill, and report it in the app the same day. Food-safety complaints about any seller can also go to FSSAI through its Food Safety Connect app.
National Consumer Helpline. Call 1915, WhatsApp 88000 01915, or file at consumerhelpline.gov.in. The helpline forwards your complaint to the company.
Consumer commission. File online on e-Daakhil within two years of the problem. Your district consumer commission hears cases where the amount paid is up to ₹50 lakh, which covers any grocery order, and there is no filing fee up to ₹5 lakh.
Refund scams. Directory and forum pages list numbers the apps do not publish. Fraudsters use them to hijack refunds: they ask you to install a screen-sharing app, "verify" a UPI collect request or pay a small fee. If you have already lost money, call 1930 or report at cybercrime.gov.in, then tell your bank.

What to put in a complaint

A complaint that has everything in one message gets fixed faster and is harder to close without an answer. Include:

The order ID, the order date and the delivery address area.
What went wrong, item by item, such as "1 of 2 milk packets missing" or "eggs delivered broken".
The photos or video you took of the problem.
The fix you want: a refund to the original payment method, a replacement, or app credit, with the amount.
Any earlier ticket or complaint number, and the date you first raised it.

Keep a copy of every message.

Quick commerce rules and regulations in India

Who regulates quick commerce in India

Quick commerce rule changes and government action, 2025 to 2026

Distributors complain to the competition regulator

Eternal caps foreign ownership at 49.5%

Blinkit store licence suspended in Pune

Karnataka notifies its gig-worker law

Apps audit themselves for dark patterns

Gig workers get legal status

Zepto fined for dark patterns

Distributors object to quick commerce IPOs

Government asks apps to drop the 10-minute promise

Telangana passes its gig-worker law

Social security rules for gig workers notified

FSSAI notices to Blinkit

Karnataka High Court refuses to stay the gig-worker law

Food-safety action in Mumbai and Bengaluru

Swiggy caps foreign ownership

Food-safety drive in Hyderabad