Several users on Twitter stated that Amazon was violating Maharashtra's lockdown regulations by shipping non-essential goods, in what appeared to be a smear campaign. It was proclaimed that the e-commerce marketplace had been shipping laptops, charging cables, function and study-from-home furniture were being shipped to pin codes in Maharashtra.

The topic 'Amazon Defies Protocols' was trending on Twitter with just under 4,000 tweets, with some users supporting local traders who had been forced to close their shops due to the state's continuing lockdown-like restrictions.

It was proclaimed that the e-commerce marketplace had been shipping laptops, charging cables, function and study-from-home furniture were being shipped to pin codes in Maharashtra

Rivals Flipkart and Reliance Digital were also discovered to be selling products that had not been classified as essential goods - primarily laptops, tablets, cables, and chargers, but which the e-commerce industry had previously argued were necessary.

Reliance Digital stated on its website that it was shipping 'essential electronics' such as laptops, tablets, headphones, and personal care items to Maharashtra customers within 2-3 days.

E-commerce firms will be required to operate 'only for the supply of essential goods and services,' according to the state government's April 13 guidelines. The guidelines, on the other hand, did not go into detail about what constitutes important and non-essential products.

Apart from food, groceries, and personal care goods, the e-commerce industry has argued that the distinction between important and non-essential things is arbitrary, and that with more customers at home, study and work-from-home enablers are also essential products.

The e-commerce industry had previously approached the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in Maharashtra, requesting intervention.

In a letter to the DPIIT, an industry group requested that ecommerce be allowed to operate without any discrimination in Maharashtra.

“Even the Maharashtra government is being vague. They've asked us to sell whatever we think are important goods, but each of the players has interpreted it differently,” said an executive among the leading e-commerce marketplaces, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.