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Yehi hai right choice for no baby

Pepsi has denied the charges, claiming that the drinks were bottled illegally under its brand name.

Updated on: Apr 27, 2006, 03:05:00 IST
None | By , New Delhi
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Soft drink giant Pepsi has been ordered to pay a compensation of over Rs 1 lakh by a consumer court after a man found a condom inside a sealed bottle of the company.

HT Image
HT Image

"This case is an eye-opener for others who are engaged in manufacturing soft drinks and are required to maintain the prescribed standards of purity in public interest during the course of their business activities," Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (North) comprising president KK Chopra and members RK Prabhakar and Neeru Mittal said.

Terming the case as "rare" with a serious bearing on the public health, the court directed PepsiCo India Holdings Ltd to pay Rs 1 lakh towards the Consumer Legal Aid Fund and Rs 20,000 as damages to the complainant.

Complainant Sudesh Sharma, a resident of Ujhani village, had purchased two bottles of Pepsi from a retail shop near Kashmere Gate in year 2003.

He started suffering from severe dyspepsia and headache, followed by insomnia, after drinking from one of the bottles. His condition worsened over a period of time and he had to seek medical treatment.

Meanwhile, Sharma, on inspecting the bottle from which he had drunk, found dirt and other contaminants inside it.

Even worse, Sharma was shocked to find a condom inside the other Pepsi bottle, which was still sealed.

Staunchly denying any negligence on its part, Pepsi maintained in court that the bottles may have contained spurious products illegally marketed under its brand name.

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