In a significant consumer rights case, Pepsi India has been ordered to pay ₹1.5 lakh in compensation to complainant Ramlal Gupta after he found a piece of glass in a bottle of the soft drink. This incident occurred in Bhadohi, where Gupta purchased the contaminated drink.
The District Consumer Commission, led by Chairman Sanjay Kumar De, finalized the case by awarding the compensation amount to Gupta. The payment was made in the presence of Gupta’s lawyer, underscoring the seriousness of the matter. Swatantra Rawat, the reader for the commission, detailed the complaint initially lodged by Gupta, a resident of Pariyat in Jaunpur district.
According to the complaint, on August 15, 2010, Gupta was visiting friends in Modh Bazaar and purchased three bottles of Pepsi. Upon noticing a rattling sound from the third bottle, he discovered a glass shard inside. The shopkeeper, identified only as Lalchand Halwai, was approached but deflected responsibility onto the company.
The commission’s inquiry led to a notice being issued to PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd, along with Lalchand Halwai, demanding a response. The final verdict awarded Gupta ₹50,000 for mental anguish, and an additional ₹100,000 for social harm and impairment, totaling ₹1.5 lakh.
This payout, facilitated on a Monday, marked the case’s resolution to the satisfaction of all parties involved, with the District Consumer Commission stressing the importance of corporate accountability in product safety.
