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The Kakinada district consumer disputes redressal commission in Andhra Pradesh has fined a shop inside the Annavaram’s Satyanarayana Swamy temple premises Rs 7 lakh for selling a packaged drinking water bottle above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) printed on it. The Commission found that the shop had sold a water bottle with an MRP of Rs 18 for Rs 25.
This constituted an unfair trade practice and deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Commission’s bench held, according to LiveLaw. It asked the shop licensee to refund the excess seven rupees collected to the complainant, along with Rs 10,000 as compensation and Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs. It also directed him to pay Rs 7 lakh to the Consumer Welfare Fund,
Annavaram, one of Andhra Pradesh’s most prominent pilgrimage sites, draws heavy crowds throughout the year. The complainant D Venkateswara Rao, a resident of Pithapuram and a devotee of the deity had visited the Annavaram temple on February 22. He said he bought a one-litre water bottle from Satyadev Fancy Coconuts and Cool Drinks, a licensed shop within the temple premises.
Though the bottle’s MRP read Rs 18, he said the shopkeeper charged him Rs 25 and offered no explanation when asked. Venkateswara Rao said he first raised the matter with the temple administration over WhatsApp and approached the Commission only after those efforts yielded no response.
In its order dated August 28, the Commission, comprising President Ch Raghupathy Vasantha Kumar and members Chakka Susi and Chaganti Nageswara Rao, held that charging above MRP amounted to unfair trade practice.
While the complaint against the temple administration itself was dismissed, the Commission directed it to ensure MRPs are displayed prominently across licensed shops and to make periodic announcements asking pilgrims to not pay above the printed price, with 45 days given for compliance.
This article was written by a student interning with TNM.