The power of the Consumer Court! How Many of you are Aware?

As long as there are dunces, there will be cheaters in this world. For that, dunces should need to wake up first. We are deceived in the form of constant consumption as in the neighborhood shops, buses, online stores. Many times we don't check the MRP rate and ask the shop owners. Even we don't check the expiry dates due to our carelessness and hurry. We would hesitate to ask in the shop. 


The three persons who are deceived continue to fight and get the company involved to be punished. Knowing this phenomenon, we will learn three of our rights as consumers today.

Bags with advertisement

If you are paying an additional cost for a bag that is provided at any popular store, mall, it means you are unknowingly getting cheated. 

You will enter shopping malls and supermarkets empty-handed with no bags. If you're paying for a bag when you come out, then, this is a great incident you need to know.

Every time we buy a lot of items filled full of bags in big stores. We take care of the contents of the bag and do not even look at the bag. As a result, we pay Rs. 3 to Rs. 10 to the shopkeeper for each bag and get it. Yes, if the bag has the company logo printed, it is an advertisement for that company. Then, why do we need to pay money to buy a bag?

We never thought about this. However, Dinesh Prasad from Chandigarh went to a popular shoe showroom on last year February 5 and bought the shoe. They put the shoe worth Rs 399 in a bag and charged Rs 3 for a bag, so the total bill was Rs 402. Outraged, Dinesh filed a case against the showroom in the Consumer Court.

“The showroom has printed its name on the paper bag to promote its brand. It is not fair to ask customers for money for that. I have to get back the Rs 3 rupees paid for the bag and pay compensation considering the lack of service, ” he said in the petition.

The trial court heard and judged. Provide the bag for free to customers. The showroom should repay 3 rupees to Dinesh Prasad. In addition, he has to get Rs.1000 as compensation for what he has spent on this case. Also, the showroom should have to pay 3000 rupees for giving stress to him. A fine of Rs 5,000 has to be paid into the legal aid account of the State Consumer Rehabilitation Authority. The court ordered the showroom company to pay a total fine of Rs 9,000.

It also said that if the company is concerned about the environment, it should provide environmentally friendly bags free of charge.

The ruling of this Consumer Court is legally valid for all stores across India.

Consumers can quote this rule anywhere in the country. Even if shopkeepers offer eco-friendly bags that are not harmful to the environment, sellers will not charge extra for the bag” Delhi-based lawyer Sagar Chak Sana told the Hindustan Times.

GST mess:

3.34 crore money of 9 lakh passengers reaches the treasury of the Ministry of Railways due to a GST scam!

As a result of people rushing into the IRCTC website and booking the tickets like the lightning man act as fast as breaking the 100m race record, once the plan dropped the ticket is canceled.

3.34 crore of 9 lakh passengers have gone to the railway sector. One of them, who had been fighting for 2 years, got back the 33 rupees he owed.

Sujit Swamy, a 30-year-old engineer from Kota, Rajasthan, had booked a train ticket from Kota to Delhi on July 2, 2017, two months in advance. Later, he canceled the ticket. The ticket he booked cost 765 rupees. He was charged 100 rupees as a service charge and the remaining 665 rupees is deposited in his bank account.

"I have to pay only Rs65 for ticket cancellation. Instead, 100 rupees were made by the IRCTC. I have been following this case since 2017. The only guarantee given by IRCTC is that your money will be refunded, ”said Sujith. Sujith had filed a petition with the Information Commission under the Right to Information Act to find out why Rs35 was withheld as an additional charge even though the ticket was canceled before the GST came into force. The railway administration responded,

"There was no GST when the ticket was booked by Sujit and then the GST was implemented from July 1 and hence the fee of Rs35 for GST charged". 

But, Sujit asked, "how can GST be applied for someone who bought a ticket before GST was implemented?" That has been diligently pressed in many places. Sujith got another updated response from IRCTC. 

“According to Business Circular No. 43 of the Ministry of Railways, the service tax levied on a ticket booked and canceled after GST will not be refundable. So, Rs 100 was charged. ” responded by IRCTC. Subsequently, on July 11, the Railway Administration reversed its decision to refund the service tax levied on tickets canceled before the implementation of the GST.

On next year May 1, Sujit received Rs. 33 out of Rs. 35 with current GST charge Rs.2. Earlier, his petition in the Lok Adalat was dismissed last January on the ground that the case was not within their jurisdiction.

"I have been following this case through RTI. In fact, it was a long struggle. From December 2018 to last April, my RTI request was routed to 10 government departments as one department to another. Eventually, I got my 33 rupees back. IRCTC had confirmed to me that they will refund Rs35. But, I just got Rs.33, So, I'm going to sue again for my Rs.2. ” said Sujith.

Not only Sujit but about 9 lakh passengers have been affected by the GST scam. Yes, in response to another RTI filed by Sujit, 9 lakh passengers who had booked tickets before the implementation of GST and then canceled them between July 1-11 have been affected. A service tax of Rs 3.35 crore has been levied on these passengers. Most travelers may not be aware of this. Many will forget, ”he said. 

Restaurant fined Rs 68,000 for selling Rs 3 more than MRP price!

It's better to check MRP price, expiry date when we buy a product. But most of the time we never do it. We pay more than MRP in the supermarket, high-class shops, and bargain with the pour people who sell in the street for just Rs2 and Rs5. 

It is a crime to charge more than MRP for an item! 

Yes. Madurai-based S. Sumesh has won a verdict last year May 1 after filing a complaint against a restaurant that had received three rupees more than the MRP price for the past three years. In 2016, he bought a 200 ml bottle of pistachio milk worth Rs 22 at the restaurant in Madurai. However, the hotel management has charged Rs 25 on the bill. Sumesh filed a case in the District Consumer Reduction Tribunal (DCDRF) to resolve the issue.

During a consumer settlement panel hearing, the restaurant responded in writing, “This is a restaurant that can serve good quality food with modern amenities. So a huge amount of money is spent on maintenance. In addition, there is an additional charge for products such as milk to cover the cost of maintaining the refrigerator used to store food and beverages. ” Hence charged extra Rs3.

However, DCDRF said that the restaurant was not entitled to charge more than the MRP price and that it was an unfair trade practice. Additionally, the court asked the restaurant to pay Sumesh Rs 15,000 as compensation for the distress caused by the restaurant's action in addition to his Rs3, fined Rs 3,000 for the unfair trade, and asked to pay Rs 50,000 into the 'State Consumer Welfare Fund'.

There are many scams going on behind you. In a few of the shops, they are charging an extra Rs20 to Rs30,  if we opt for pay with mobile pay. This also comes under unfair trade. Know your GST percentage properly applied in the bill. 

Companies that provide goods or services need to realize and act on the fact that "Consumers are our regular guests. We depend on them...besides, they do not depend on us"

So, do not lose your money unnecessarily and start asking questions and getting your rights.