The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Kerala’s Thrissur passed an order directing Britannia Industries and a bakery to pay a compensation of Rs 60,000 to a consumer for selling biscuit packets which weighed 52 grams lesser than the claimed weight of 300 grams.
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Kerala: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Thrissur, Kerala, has directed Britannia Industries and a local bakery to pay Rs 60,000 in compensation to a consumer for selling biscuit packets that weighed significantly less than the claimed 300 grams.
This decision was rendered by a bench consisting of President C.T. Sabu and members Sreeja S and Ram Mohan R.
The commission’s order, dated September 26, 2023, highlighted the substantial discrepancy between the declared and actual weight of the biscuit packets.
“It is axiomatic that there is drastic shortage in the net weight of the biscuit in MO1 package, to be more specific in terms of quantity, the shortage in net weight is more than 52g (300-248) in MO1 package,”
-the bench stated.
The complaint was filed by George Thattil, who had purchased two packets of “Britannia Nutri Choice Thin Arrow Root Biscuits” from Chukkiri Royal bakery, each costing Rs 40 and supposedly weighing 300 grams as printed on the packaging. However, upon weighing, the packets were found to be 268 grams and 248 grams respectively.
George lodged a complaint with the Assistant Controller and Flying Squad of Legal Metrology in Thrissur, who verified and confirmed the weight discrepancy. Subsequently, George approached the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission seeking an order to prevent such unfair practices and claimed compensation for the financial, physical, and mental distress caused by the deception of the manufacturer and seller.
The Commission noted that despite being served notices, both Britannia and the bakery failed to submit their written statements, leading to ex-parte proceedings.
The Commission found that both parties had violated the consumer’s right to live without exploitation and deception.
“Such a deceptive act from the part of an erring manufacturer or trader is tantamount to jeopardizing the very dignity of the consumer and his right to live a life free from exploitation or deception or any kind of unfair trade practice,”
-the consumer forum stated.
The Commission ruled that the actions of the manufacturer and seller constituted unfair trade practices, violating the Consumer Protection Act and Section 30 (penalty for transactions in contravention of standard weight or measure) of the Legal Metrology Act 2009.
Consequently, the Commission directed Britannia and the bakery to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation for the complainant’s loss and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs.
Additionally, the Commission instructed the Controller of Legal Metrology of Kerala to conduct a state-wide investigation to ensure compliance with net quantity standards for packaged commodities.
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