Hyderabad: The Rangareddy District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has penalized the food delivery platform Zomato and Big Bowl Chinese restaurant Rs 50,000 for delivering non-vegetarian food to vegetarian customers in Hyderabad.
The judgment underscores the protection of food rights for vegetarians and highlights service accountability in the food delivery industry.
The case arose when the complainant, a “strict vegetarian” for 29 years, ordered a “Big Bowl Special Chopsuey” labelled as vegetarian on Zomato’s app from Big Bowl Chinese restaurant in Kondapur.
Initially, the order was incomplete, prompting the customer to request a replacement. However, the replacement dish turned out to be non-vegetarian, violating the complainant’s religious beliefs and causing significant distress.
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Zomato’s arguments
The commission found both Zomato and the restaurant guilty of deficiency in service. While Zomato argued it was merely an intermediary platform, it had already refunded the order amount, implicitly acknowledging its error.
Recorded conversations presented as evidence revealed that both parties admitted their mistake and apologized to the complainant.
Notably, the restaurant did not respond to court notices and was absent during proceedings.
In its ruling, the commission ordered a breakdown of penalties: Rs 5,000 each as compensation to the complainant, Rs 5,000 each towards litigation costs, and Rs 15,000 each as punitive damages to the Consumer Welfare Fund. The total penalty amounts to Rs 50,000.
Both parties were also directed to implement stricter measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Original complaint sought Rs 20L in damages
Although the original complaint sought Rs 20 lakh in damages, the commission awarded a more modest amount.
Zomato and Big Bowl Chinese have been instructed to comply with the ruling by April 2025. Failure to do so will result in double the compensation being imposed.
