Bengaluru man sues Empire Hotel for 40 paise overcharge, fined ₹4,000
In a case where a customer sued a restaurant in Bengaluru for overcharging him by 40 paise, a consumer court recently ruled that over 50 paise can be rounded off to one rupee under government rules
A consumer court recently ruled that over 50 paise can be rounded off to one rupee under government rules in a case where a customer sued a restaurant in Bengaluru for overcharging him 40 paise. The judges, on the other hand, pulled up the complainant for wasting the court's time for publicity and ordered him to pay ₹4,000 in compensation to the restaurant's managing director.
On May 21, 2021, a senior citizen named Murthy went to Hotel Empire on Central Street and ordered food to go. The staff presented him with a bill for ₹265. Murthy, however, questioned the staff when the total amount came to ₹264.60. When he did not receive a favourable response, he went to a consumer forum in Bengaluru and accused the restaurant of stealing from customers. The customer had asked for Re 1 in compensation for alleged service deficiencies, claiming that the incident had caused him "mental shock and agony."
Murthy presented his case on his own in a lawsuit that began on June 26, 2021, while advocates Amshuman M and Adithya Ambrose represented the restaurant. The duo contended that the complaint was frivolous and vexatious and that the restaurant had charged the next round figure as tax in the bill rather than for the food, as permitted by Section 170 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act-2017.
The judges cited two government of India circulars during the eight-month-long proceedings: one stating that any amount less than 50 paise should be ignored, and another stating that any amount greater than 50 paise should be rounded off to the nearest rupee. The court stated that the complainant is not entitled to any relief in the case, which he has used for personal publicity and wasted valuable time of the court, the opposing party, and their representatives, citing no deficiency on the part of the restaurant in charging 40 paise.
On March 4, 2022, the court ordered the complainant to pay ₹2,000 in compensation to the opposing party, as well as an additional ₹2,000 in court expenses, all within 30 days of the order.