A consumer commission in Puducherry has ruled against a restaurant for serving contaminated food, ordering it to compensate a customer and provide 10 free plates of biryani after a dead insect was found in the dish.
Consumer Complaint Details
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Puducherry, comprising President S. Mouttouvel, Member A.S. Suvitha, and Member G. Arumugam, determined that serving contaminated food constituted a deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The complaint was filed by P. Sundarakumara Manikandan against Briyani & Co. after he and his friend Mohammed Niyasudeen discovered a dead insect in their biryani on December 8, 2025, as reported by LiveLaw.
The customer immediately recorded videos and took photos of the food, alleging that the incident reflected extremely unhygienic conditions in the restaurant. He claimed the contaminated food caused mental agony, fear of health complications, and loss of trust as a consumer. Initially, he sought compensation of Rs 1,30,000 under various heads, including health risk, negligence, mental agony, and advocate fees. After issuing a legal notice seeking compensation and corrective action, he approached the consumer commission due to dissatisfaction with the restaurant's response.
Commission's Observations
The commission noted that the restaurant failed to appear or contest the proceedings despite receiving notice, leading to an ex parte decision. While examining evidence, the commission observed that photographic evidence lacked clarity, but the video recording unequivocally showed a dead insect, which appeared to be a dead fly. The commission also highlighted a contradiction: the restaurant acknowledged the incident, apologized, and described it as an isolated occurrence in a Google review response, yet denied liability in its legal reply. This inconsistency undermined its credibility.
Ruling and Compensation
Holding the restaurant guilty of serving unsafe food, the commission directed Briyani & Co. to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation for mental agony and deficiency in service, along with Rs 3,000 towards litigation expenses. Additionally, the restaurant must provide the complainant with 10 plates of freshly prepared Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani free of cost, at two plates per week over five consecutive Sundays, complying with food safety standards. The order must be implemented within two weeks from receipt.
This case underscores the importance of food safety and consumer rights under Indian law.
