The Gujarat State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has upheld a ₹1.5 lakh punitive penalty imposed on D-Mart for allegedly engaging in an unfair trade practice by altering the expiry date of a bottle of edible oil.The state commission dismissed D-Mart’s appeal at the admission stage, upholding the order of the Surat District Consumer Commission.
Consumer Finds Altered Expiry Date
The case began after consumer Jagruti Patel purchased a bottle of oil from D-Mart’s Sarthana store in Surat. She later found an unauthorised sticker changing the expiry date from December 2020 to July 2022.The Surat District Consumer Commission directed D-Mart to refund the purchase amount, pay compensation to the consumer and deposit ₹1.5 lakh with the Consumer Welfare Fund.
D-Mart Cites Covid-Era Relaxation
D-Mart challenged the order, arguing that government resolutions issued during the Covid-19 period permitted revised expiry-date stickers.Patel’s advocates, however, argued that the relaxation applied only to manufacturers and did not permit retailers to alter expiry dates on their own.
Commission Upholds Penalty
The state consumer commission accepted the complainant’s argument and held that D-Mart’s action amounted to an unfair trade practice.It consequently dismissed the retailer’s appeal and upheld the ₹1.5 lakh punitive penalty ordered by the district commission.