ITC Limited, a prominent Indian conglomerate, has been penalised with a fine of&nbsp;US$ 1.2K &nbsp;after a customer found one biscuit less than advertised in a packet of Sunfeast Marie Light biscuits.

The incident unfolded in Chennai when a local resident named P Dillibabu purchased the packet with the intention of feeding stray dogs. However, upon opening the pack, he noticed that despite the label stating 16 biscuits, there were only 15 inside, reported the Times of India.&nbsp;

<h2>Customer's quest for explanation</h2>

Dillibabu promptly contacted his local store and ITC seeking an explanation for this discrepancy.

When he did not receive a satisfactory response from either party in response to this unsettling experience, Dillibabu decided to escalate the matter by filing a complaint with a consumer court.

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<h2>Crunching the numbers: Cost analysis and consumer impact</h2>

In his complaint, Dillibabu calculated that each biscuit cost&nbsp;US$ 0.0090 With ITC manufacturing a staggering 50,00,000 packets of biscuits daily, the implications of this biscuit count discrepancy were substantial. According to his estimates, consumers were potentially being shortchanged by a whopping US$ 35K every day.

<h2>ITC's defence and its rejection</h2>

ITC's initial defence rested on the argument that biscuits are sold based on weight rather than quantity.

Each packet of Sunfeast Marie Light biscuits prominently displayed a net weight of 76 grammes.

However, the consumer court scrutinised the contents of the packet and determined that each pack containing 15 biscuits weighed only 74 gm.

The company also cited the Legal Metrology Rules of 2011, which allow for a maximum weight discrepancy of 4.5 gm&nbsp;in pre-packaged goods.

However, this explanation was dismissed by the court, which emphasised that such exemptions applied primarily to volatile products. The rules did not extend to biscuits since they do not experience weight loss over time.

Furthermore, ITC's contention that biscuits were sold based on weight rather than quantity was rebutted, considering that the wrapper explicitly mentioned 16 biscuits.

<h2>The verdict</h2>

As a result of these findings, the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) giant ITC was instructed on August 29 to pay&nbsp;US$ 1.2K to Dillibabu as compensation for engaging in unfair trade practices. Additionally, the court ordered ITC to cease the sale of the specific batch of biscuits in question.

Also watch |&nbsp;India-Bharat controversy: Political chorus grows to rename nation 'Bharat'

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This case serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and adherence to packaging and labelling standards in the food industry, highlighting that even a missing biscuit can lead to significant legal consequences for manufacturers.

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ITC Limited, a prominent Indian conglomerate, has been penalised with a fine of US$ 1.2K after a customer found one biscuit less than advertised in a packet of Sunfeast Marie Light biscuits.

ITC Limited, a prominent Indian conglomerate, has been penalised with a fine of US$ 1.2K after a customer found one biscuit less than advertised in a packet of Sunfeast Marie Light biscuits. The incident unfolded in Chennai when a local resident named P Dillibabu purchased the packet with the intention of feeding stray dogs. However, upon opening the pack, he noticed that despite the label stating 16 biscuits, there were only 15 inside, reported the Times of India. Customer's quest for explanation Dillibabu promptly contacted his local store and ITC seeking an explanation for this discrepancy. When he did not receive a satisfactory response from either party in response to this unsettling experience, Dillibabu decided to escalate the matter by filing a complaint with a consumer court. Also read | Explained | Origin of the name 'Bharat' - India's past, present and future Crunching the numbers: Cost analysis and consumer impact In his complaint, Dillibabu calculated that each biscuit cost US$ 0.0090 With ITC manufacturing a staggering 50,00,000 packets of biscuits daily, the implications of this biscuit count discrepancy were substantial. According to his estimates, consumers were potentially being shortchanged by a whopping US$ 35K every day. ITC's defence and its rejection ITC's initial defence rested on the argument that biscuits are sold based on weight rather than quantity. Each packet of Sunfeast Marie Light biscuits prominently displayed a net weight of 76 grammes. However, the consumer court scrutinised the contents of the packet and determined that each pack containing 15 biscuits weighed only 74 gm. The company also cited the Legal Metrology Rules of 2011, which allow for a maximum weight discrepancy of 4.5 gm in pre-packaged goods. However, this explanation was dismissed by the court, which emphasised that such exemptions applied primarily to volatile products. The rules did not extend to biscuits since they do not experience weight loss over time. Furthermore, ITC's contention that biscuits were sold based on weight rather than quantity was rebutted, considering that the wrapper explicitly mentioned 16 biscuits. The verdict As a result of these findings, the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) giant ITC was instructed on August 29 to pay US$ 1.2K to Dillibabu as compensation for engaging in unfair trade practices. Additionally, the court ordered ITC to cease the sale of the specific batch of biscuits in question. Also watch | India-Bharat controversy: Political chorus grows to rename nation 'Bharat' This case serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and adherence to packaging and labelling standards in the food industry, highlighting that even a missing biscuit can lead to significant legal consequences for manufacturers. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Costliest cookie: Indian FMCG firm slapped with US$ 1.2K fine over a single missing biscuit in packet

An Indian man Tungnath Chaturvedi has won a 22-year-old legal battle with the railways over an overpriced ticket.

In 1999, Chaturvedi bought two railway tickets for which he was charged 20 rupees ($0.25; £0.21) extra at Mathura cantonment railway station in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Chaturvedi, a lawyer, filed a case against the North East Railway in consumer court against the injustice which specifically deals with grievances related to services.

Chaturvedi told BBC, "I have attended more than 100 hearings in connection with this case. But you can't put a price on the energy and time I've lost fighting this case."

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According to him, "The railways also tried to dismiss the case, saying complaints against the railways should be addressed to the railway tribunal and not&nbsp;consumer court."

"But we used a 2021 Supreme Court ruling to prove that the matter could be heard in a consumer court," he added.

After a long legal battle for 22 years, the consumer court ordered the railways to pay him a fine of 15,000 rupees ($188; £154) and refund him the 20 rupees at 12 per cent interest per year.

According to the court, the interest rate would be increased to 15 per cent if the amount was not paid within the specified time of 30 days.

In response, Chaturvedi said, "It's not the money that matters. This was always a fight for justice and a fight against corruption, so it was worth it."&nbsp;

"Also, since I am an advocate myself, I didn't have to pay money to a lawyer or bear the cost of travelling to the court. That can get quite expensive," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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An Indian man Tungnath Chaturvedi has won a 22-year-old legal battle with the railways over an overpriced ticket. In 1999, Chaturvedi bought two railway tickets for which he was charged 20 rupees ($0.

An Indian man Tungnath Chaturvedi has won a 22-year-old legal battle with the railways over an overpriced ticket. In 1999, Chaturvedi bought two railway tickets for which he was charged 20 rupees ($0.25; £0.21) extra at Mathura cantonment railway station in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Chaturvedi, a lawyer, filed a case against the North East Railway in consumer court against the injustice which specifically deals with grievances related to services. Chaturvedi told BBC, "I have attended more than 100 hearings in connection with this case. But you can't put a price on the energy and time I've lost fighting this case." Also read | To move coal fast by freeing tracks, Indian Railways cancels 753 passenger trains amid shortage According to him, "The railways also tried to dismiss the case, saying complaints against the railways should be addressed to the railway tribunal and not consumer court." "But we used a 2021 Supreme Court ruling to prove that the matter could be heard in a consumer court," he added. After a long legal battle for 22 years, the consumer court ordered the railways to pay him a fine of 15,000 rupees ($188; £154) and refund him the 20 rupees at 12 per cent interest per year. According to the court, the interest rate would be increased to 15 per cent if the amount was not paid within the specified time of 30 days. In response, Chaturvedi said, "It's not the money that matters. This was always a fight for justice and a fight against corruption, so it was worth it." "Also, since I am an advocate myself, I didn't have to pay money to a lawyer or bear the cost of travelling to the court. That can get quite expensive," he added. (With inputs from agencies) Watch WION's live TV here: ×

'Justice prevails': Indian man wins 22-year-old legal battle with railways over overpriced ticket

It appears to be a bad hair day, not for a person, but for a salon as a consumer court in India has ordered it to pay Rs 20 million ($271,000) in damages to a model for a haircut gone wrong, which she claimed caused a "severe mental breakdown".&nbsp;

In 2018, the&nbsp;model&nbsp;Aashna Roy went to the salon, which is part of a prominent hotel chain in India's capital New Delhi. She asked the staff to trim four inches (10 centimetres) from her tips but the hairdresser chopped off the maximum length.&nbsp;

"To the utter shock and surprise of the complainant, the hairdresser chopped off her entire hair leaving only 4 inches from the top and barely touching her shoulders," said the ruling by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.&nbsp;

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After the hairstylist cut a major part of her hair and left "only 4 inches from the top", the model stopped seeing herself in the mirror. The court ruling added that Aashna is a communication professional and is required to be involved in meetings and interactive sessions.&nbsp;

The court also determined that as Roy had already established a career lending her skills to advertisements for hair products, the botched haircut had led to "severe mental breakdown and trauma".&nbsp;

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She is a communication professional and [is] required to be involved in meetings and interactive sessions. "But she lost her self-confidence due to little hair," the court order said.

The court told the salon, which can still appeal the verdict, to pay 20 million rupees within eight weeks of the order.&nbsp;

It appears to be a bad hair day, not for a person, but for a salon as a consumer court in India has ordered it to pay Rs 20 million ($271,000) in damages to a model for a haircut gone wrong, which she claimed caused a "severe mental breakdown".

It appears to be a bad hair day, not for a person, but for a salon as a consumer court in India has ordered it to pay Rs 20 million ($271,000) in damages to a model for a haircut gone wrong, which she claimed caused a "severe mental breakdown". In 2018, the model Aashna Roy went to the salon, which is part of a prominent hotel chain in India's capital New Delhi. She asked the staff to trim four inches (10 centimetres) from her tips but the hairdresser chopped off the maximum length. "To the utter shock and surprise of the complainant, the hairdresser chopped off her entire hair leaving only 4 inches from the top and barely touching her shoulders," said the ruling by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. ALSO READ | Bloodthirsty vampire bats prefer sharing drink with friends, finds study After the hairstylist cut a major part of her hair and left "only 4 inches from the top", the model stopped seeing herself in the mirror. The court ruling added that Aashna is a communication professional and is required to be involved in meetings and interactive sessions. The court also determined that as Roy had already established a career lending her skills to advertisements for hair products, the botched haircut had led to "severe mental breakdown and trauma". ALSO READ | NASA's Ingenuity helicopter is finding it tougher to fly on Mars She is a communication professional and [is] required to be involved in meetings and interactive sessions. "But she lost her self-confidence due to little hair," the court order said. The court told the salon, which can still appeal the verdict, to pay 20 million rupees within eight weeks of the order.

Indian salon ordered to pay Rs 20 million as damages for a 'traumatic' haircut

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