Delhi HC declines petition on ‘dead rat in buttermilk pack’, directs UP to respond to woman’s complaint

Asking the petitioner to approach the consumer court, Justice Rekha Palli directed the Food Safety and Drug Administration department of the Uttar Pradesh government to respond to the complaint.

THE DELHI High Court Thursday declined to entertain a Noida resident’s petition alleging that she has been suffering from continual health issues since she consumed a tetra pack of buttermilk that she later found “contained a dead rat”. The woman sought a direction for compensation of Rs 20 lakh from the authorities and product manufacturer.

Justice Rekha Palli said that prima facie there was nothing to show that the product was defective and that the question cannot be decided in a writ petition. Asking the petitioner to approach the consumer court, Justice Palli directed the Food Safety and Drug Administration department of the Uttar Pradesh government to respond to the complaint.

The woman, who had ordered the product online in October 2020, said that she had vomited after consuming the drink. When she later checked the tetra pack, the plea said, she found “dead/rotten rat or dead chicken flesh or any other thing” at its bottom. The woman said she was not sure as she is a vegetarian.

Since consuming the product the petitioner is “facing physical (stomach disease/ complication dyspepsia/acid reflux daily) and mental effect (depression) continuously”, she said in the petition. Complaints to the authorities have not been acted upon, she added.

In December 2020, the company had visited her residence and collected the sample but she has not been informed about the lab test result, the court was told.

Source: Read Full Article