Ahmedabad Consumer Commission fines Club O7 ₹25,000 for serving non-veg food to Hindu family

Ahmedabad District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has imposed a ₹25,000 penalty on Club O7 (Cube Lounge) for serving a non-vegetarian dish to a Hindu family that had ordered vegetarian food, holding the restaurant guilty of deficiency in service and injury to religious sentiments.

In its order, the commission observed that religious faith holds special importance under the Indian Constitution and that the restaurant’s lapse caused serious hurt to the complainant’s beliefs. The bench comprising HM Patel (President), SR Pandya (Member) and BJ Acharya (Member) directed the restaurant to pay ₹20,000 as compensation and ₹5,000 towards litigation costs.

According to the complaint, the family had ordered vegetarian items, including veg makhaniwala, butter roti, dal fry, fried papad and buttermilk. However, murgh makhaniwala (chicken) was served in place of the vegetarian dish. The restaurant admitted the mistake in its written reply.

Rejecting the restaurant’s defence, the commission held that such an error cannot be remedied by a waiter’s apology or an offer of a complimentary meal. It further stated that the restaurant could not evade responsibility by arguing that the complainant should have chosen a purely vegetarian establishment.

The commission emphasised that it was the restaurant’s duty to verify and reconfirm orders before serving, which was not done in this case, resulting in harm to the complainant’s religious sentiments.