A district consumer disputes redressal forum here has dismissed a complaint seeking over ₹3 lakh compensation from an apparel store for charging “an exorbitant amount of ₹10” for a carry bag.
Alleging unfair trade practice, the complainant claimed that due to lack of options, he had to purchase a paper bag for ₹10 from the store that was “priced much higher compared to other carry bags available in the market”.
The complainant further alleged that the State government had failed to monitor “legally assigned duties, including monitoring of day-to-day affairs of both the Department of Food Supplies and Consumer Affairs as well as local self-government.”
However, the consumer panel observed, “The charge of ₹10 per carry bag was introduced as part of Nagpur Municipal Corporation Policy to reduce litter and to protect the environment. Environment-friendly citizens do carry their own shopping bags, preferably cloth bags while going shopping. The complainant did not carry any such bag with him.” While dismissing the complaint, the consumer forum further said, “No law is shown under which the [store] is required to give a shopping bag free of cost to its customers or which prohibits advertisement on a shopping bag. Complainant has also not shown any rule or law which makes it compulsory for [stores] to provide carry bags to the customers.”
Further, the consumer panel dismissed allegations put forth against the Delhi government stating, “...[Allegations] are not only vague, but a challenge to the same does not lie within the jurisdictional domain of the consumer fora.”
The complainant had sought directions to the store to “deposit the illegal amount collected by them from unidentified consumers, in the Legal Benefit Fund” of the consumer panel or the State of Delhi.
