CHENNAI: Noting specifically that an impure bottle of a popular brand of cola was sold in a school canteen, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (Chennai (South) has directed the company, its manager and the shop owner to pay Rs 55,000 as compensation and cost.
E Nehru of Pattinambakkam, working in a private insurance company, bought two 200 ml bottles of Pepsi for him and a friend, Vinoth, who came to visit him. Soon after they drank the soft drinks bought from the canteen at St Bede’s Matriculation Higher Secondary School and went to his office, Vinoth started vomiting. On inspection, it was found that the bottle had what was suspected to be the remains of an insect.
Vinoth was taken to a hospital, and Nehru asked the canteen owner not to sell the product anymore and to inform the company’s official concerned. But the official of Pepsi allegedly underplayed the incident, which prompted Nehru to file a complaint before the forum.
During the hearing, the company claimed that only the bottle belonged to Pepsi while the content was spurious, bottled illegally by unscrupulous elements and being passed off as Pepsi product. However, it failed to produce any evidence to support the claim.
The content was sent for testing at the Food Analysis Laboratory, King Institute, Guindy through the forum. The report said there was whole or part of some “filthy, putrid, rotten, decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance... deemed to be unfit for human consumption”.
The forum, headed by its president B Ramalingam and member, K Amala, held that the company and the canteen owner had committed gross negligence in manufacturing and selling the soft drink.
“It is also pertinent to note that the retail shop in which the said soft drink was sold is situated within the [school] campus... School going children also have access to the shop for buying eatables and soft drinks,” it noted.
Though Nehru claimed a compensation of Rs 15.25 lakhs, the forum said the claim was exorbitant and awarded Rs 50,000 as compensation. In addition, he was also awarded Rs 5,000 towards cost of litigation.