PUNE: A consumer court here slapped a Rs 55,000 fine on food delivery platform Zomato along with a Pune restaurant for delivering non-vegetarian food to a lawyer who had ordered a vegetarian dish.
According to media reports, the Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum in Pune directed Zomato to pay the fine within 45 days to city-based lawyer Shanmukh Deshmukh who was delivered non-vegetarian food not just once, but twice.
On 31 May, Deshmukh, used to fast on Thursdays had ordered paneer butter masala but instead delivered butter chicken dish.
“Since the curries of both dishes look alike, he didn’t realise it was a chicken dish and ate it,” said the reports.
After getting no response to the legal notices sent to Zomato and the eatery, the lawyer filed a formal complaint and demanded Rs 5 lakh and Rs 1 lakh for harassment.
According to Zomato, the lawyer complained against the food delivery platform to defame it as it had refunded his amount.
Zomato told the consumer forum that the error lay with the hotel which supplied the wrong dish, but the forum considered it to be equally guilty.
The hotel, however, admitted its mistake.
Zomato and the hotel were directed to pay Rs 50,000 for deficiency in service and Rs 5,000 for mental harassment.
With IANS inputs