Dead flies in Limca land distributor in soup

The district consumer disputes redressal forum has let off Reliance Breweries with a meagre fine of Rs7,000 despite a man proving that a Limca bottle supplied by the Delhi distributor contained two dead flies.

The fine has to be jointly paid by the distributor, dealer and the retailer from whose shop the bottle was procured.

Consumer expert SK Virmani said: “Such cases are becoming a trend. Keeping in mind health of consumers, courts should impose heavy penalties on such companies. A criminal case should also be lodged against such firms.”

In the present case, Ravi Karan Sharma bought a 300ml bottle of Limca from a retailer near his house. After opening the bottle, he found that it contained two dead flies.

Alleging negligence and unfair trade practice, Sharma moved the consumer forum in south Delhi to seek compensation of Rs1lakh. Reliance Breweries denied his allegations, saying there was nothing on record to show it had supplied the bottle. Its lie was, however, nailed when the retailer produce a bill proving that he had purchased the bottle from the distributor.