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Covid restrictions: Marriage hall told to refund to ₹1 lakh booking amount
Disposing of the complaint, the district consumer commission directed Vikas Mineral Foods Pvt Ltd, and Vikas Gupta, director of Casavillaz Banquet Palace/hall, Ramgarh-Mubarikpur Road, Kakrali, Mohali, to pay ₹10,000 on account of mental agony and harassment as well as ₹5,500 as litigation charges to the complainant Hans Raj Rohilla of Sector 26, Panchkula
For failing to refund the booking amount due to Covid restrictions, district consumer disputes and redressal commission, Panchkula, directed the marriage palace to refund ₹1 lakh with 9% interest from March 2021 to a Sector 26 resident who had booked the palace for his daughter’s wedding.
Disposing of the complaint, the district consumer commission directed Vikas Mineral Foods Pvt Ltd, and Vikas Gupta, director of Casavillaz Banquet Palace/hall, Ramgarh-Mubarikpur Road, Kakrali, Mohali, to pay ₹10,000 on account of mental agony and harassment as well as ₹5,500 as litigation charges to the complainant Hans Raj Rohilla of Sector 26, Panchkula.
“The refusal to refund the booking amount was not based on valid and justified grounds. Thus, we conclude that the services by the Vikas Mineral Foods Pvt Ltd, and Vikas Gupta, director Casavillaz were deficient while rendering services to the complainant, for which, they are liable, jointly and severally, to compensate him,” said district consumer disputes redressal.
Rohilla, in his complaint, filed on September 2021, said that in January 2021 he paid ₹1,00,000 as advance, for holding the marriage function of his daughter on April 24, 2021, in the Casavillaz Banquet Palace/hall, owned and managed by Vikas Mineral Foods Pvt Ltd, and Vikas Gupta, director ‘Casavillaz’, Ramgarh-Mubarikpur Road, Kakrali, Mohali. However, due to rising Covid cases, the Punjab government issued a notification on March 20, 2021, followed by another notification dated April 19, 2021, restricting the public gathering to a maximum of 20 persons.
Rohilla said that as the gathering of more than 300 persons, as planned, was not feasible in the light of restrictions imposed, they sought a refund of the booking amount.
Vikas Mineral Foods Pvt Ltd, and Vikas Gupta, director Casavillaz, Mohali, while seeking dismissal of the complaint, said they were justified in not refunding the booking amount as the payment, in advance, was made to various vendors and service providers--catering, decoration, chat counter, fruits stalls, bridal entry, DJ setup etc, to ensure the proper arrangements qua all items at the wedding site. They said that the alternate venue i.e. Sheeshmahal, Panchkula, in place of Casavillaz, Mohali, was offered to the complainant and they had obtained a liquor license taken from the deputy excise and taxation commissioner, Panchkula, as well as permission for holding the function was also taken from the SDM on April 22, 2021.
However, the district consumer disputes redressal commission, Panchkula, said, “The plea that the advance payment was made to various vendors so as to ensure the making of arrangements and delivery of services qua catering decoration, chat counter, fruits stalls, bridal entry, DJ setup etc at the time of marriage function but no proof qua making of such payment, as alleged, to the vendors has been placed on record in order to substantiate and prove their contentions.”
Vikas Mineral Foods Pvt Ltd, and Vikas Gupta, director, Casavillaz, Mohali, even failed to place on record the permission or letter showing that necessary permission for organising the marriage function was taken from SDM, Panchkula.
The district consumer commission, held, “Keeping in view the restrictions imposed by the Government of Haryana on the gathering of persons at the marriage venue, it was not feasible for the Vikas Mineral Foods Pvt Ltd, and Vikas Gupta, director Casavillaz to deliver the services at the marriage venue for gathering of more than 300 persons as planned by the complainant.”
