Bengaluru man sues restaurant for overcharging by 40 paise, fined Rs 4,000 by court

Team Udayavani, Mar 16, 2022, 11:45 AM IST

A Bengaluru customer sued a restaurant for overcharging him by 40 paise, but his strategy backfired when a consumer court decided that any amount over 50 paise might be rounded up to one rupee. The judge chastised the individual for wasting the court’s time for the sake of publicity and ordered him to compensate the restaurant with Rs 4,000.

In May of last year, a senior person called Murthy went to Hotel Empire on Central Street and requested lunch for takeout. He was given a bill for Rs 265 by the restaurant personnel.

Murthy claimed that he was being charged an extra 40 paise because the total cost was Rs 264.60. He decided to go to the consumer court because the employees could not provide him with a sufficient solution.

According to TOI, Murthy requested Rs 1 in compensation from the restaurant, claiming that the experience had left him in “mental shock and agony.”

The restaurant’s lawyers contended that the employees had charged the next round sum in the bill as tax rather than for the meal, as allowed by section 170 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act 2017.

The court referenced government of India circulars, one of which stated that any amount less than 50 paise should be discarded, and any amount greater than 50 paise should be rounded off to the nearest rupee.

The court determined that the restaurant’s price of 40 paise was not excessive. It went on to say that the complaint was not entitled to any redress since he had used the situation for personal interest and squandered the time of the court, the restaurant, and its representatives.

Murthy was ordered to pay Rs 2,000 in compensation as well as an additional Rs 2,000 in court costs.