A consumer forum in Kerala found United Breweries Ltd., the maker of Kingfisher beer, negligent in bottling after a consumer discovered a piece of glass in a beer bottle while consuming it.
Since the day he filed his complaint in February 2023, the forum has asked the company to refund the beer's price to the consumer at an interest rate of 10%. In addition, the forum has also asked the company to pay Rs 10,000 for providing inadequate service to the consumer, plus an additional cost of Rs 2,500.
The consumer forum has also directed that if the directions are not complied with within 45 days, the company will be asked to pay a sum of Rs 500 for the emotional distress caused to the consumer from the date of this order until the same is paid.
United Breweries denied the allegation during the proceedings. It argued that its stringent cleaning and bottling procedures made it highly unlikely for any foreign material to remain in the bottle.
To support its argument, the company filed an application to have the bottle scientifically tested in an approved laboratory to verify whether the cap and seal had been tampered with. However, this application was dismissed as the forum deemed the case to be one of "Res Ipsa Loquitur" – a situation where the evidence of negligence is so apparent that it speaks for itself.
As directed by the forum, the bottle was produced in court on Sept. 25, 2023. During the hearing, counsel for both the complainant and the company were present. The bottle was visually inspected, and the presence of a solid particle was confirmed when the particle made a sound upon inverting the bottle. This observation was recorded in the open forum.
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