Retail Chain Fined Rs 11 lakh For Selling Articles After Expiry Date In Odisha

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Cuttack: A consumer court in Odisha’s Cuttack has reportedly imposed a penalty of Rs 11 lakh on retail chain Vishal Mega Mart on charges of selling products after their expiry date.

The district consumer disputes redressal forum on Tuesday imposed the penalty in two separate cases on the retail chain’s stores at Rasulgarh in Bhubaneswar and at Sector-10, Bidanasi in Cuttack.

The court has reportedly directed the retail chain to execute the order within the next 30 days.

A social activist of Cuttack, Sunil Kumar Rath, had filed two petitions at the consumer forum after getting complaints about the sale of expired products at the stores in Rasulgarh and sector-10 of Bidanasi.

The consumer forum disposed of the two cases on November 6 and released its order on November 7, sources said.

In its order, the court said that the Rasulgarh store will return the price of the mixture to the buyer and pay a compensation of Rs 20,000, Rs 30,000 as litigation fee, and Rs 5 lakh to the state welfare fund. Similarly, the CDA sector-10 Mega mart store was asked to return Rs 202, apart from paying Rs 20,000 as compensation, Rs 30,000 as litigation fee, and Rs 5 lakh to the state consumer welfare fund within the next 30 days.

The court also directed the retail chain to immediately remove the expired products and stop selling such products.

No comment has been received from the Vishal Mega Mart authorities on the penalty.