The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has held Vishal Mega Mart guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice for selling an expired packet of Kellogg’s Multigrain Chocos to a consumer. It directed the retailer to refund the price of the product and pay ₹10,000 as compensation and litigation costs.The consumer approached the store but alleged that no action was taken. (Ht File)The order was passed by commission president Sanjeev Batra and member Monika Bhagat on a complaint filed by Rajwinder Singh of Jassowal village.According to the order, Rajwinder Singh visited the outlet on Ferozepur Road on December 1, 2025, where he purchased the said product for ₹182, along with other items. After reaching home, he noticed that the product carried a “best before” date of November 1, 2025 — a month before he had purchased it.The consumer approached the store but alleged that no action was taken. He subsequently sent a legal notice to the company on January 10, 2026, but received “no response”, following which he approached the consumer commission seeking a refund, ₹2 lakh in compensation and litigation expenses.
No deficiency in service: Outlet
Vishal Mega Mart, in its defence, denied any deficiency in service or unfair trade practice. The company argued that merely producing a bill did not establish that the expired product shown in the photographs was the same product purchased in that particular transaction.The retailer further claimed that the complainant could have purchased the expired product in an earlier transaction or from another outlet and later linked it to the bill in question. It also alleged that the complaint was part of a series of similarly structured cases and accused the complainant and his associates of deliberately procuring expired products to initiate consumer proceedings and seek disproportionate compensation.
