Gujarat Consumer Commission Upholds ₹1.5 Lakh Penalty on D-Mart Over Altered Oil Expiry Date

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has dismissed D-Mart’s appeal at the admission stage and upheld a ₹1.5 lakh punitive penalty against the retailer for an unfair trade practice.

The case arose after consumer Jagruti Patel bought a bottle of oil from D-Mart’s Sarthana store in Surat and found an unauthorised sticker changing its expiry date from 12/2020 to 07/2022.

The Surat District Consumer Commission had ordered D-Mart to refund the amount, pay compensation and deposit ₹1.5 lakh with the Consumer Welfare Fund.

D-Mart challenged the order, citing Covid-era government resolutions permitting revised expiry-date stickers. Patel’s advocates argued that the circular applied only to manufacturers, not retailers.

The state commission accepted the complainant’s argument and held that D-Mart’s action constituted a clear unfair trade practice, upholding the penalty. DeshGujarat