Kannur, Kerala: The Kannur District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Parle Biscuits and a retailer to jointly pay ₹50,000 in compensation after a biscuit packet labelled as weighing 150 grams was found to contain only 125 grams.

The order was passed by a bench comprising Commission President Ravi Susha and members Mollykutty Mathew and KP Sajeesh on a complaint filed by TP Asikh of Kallayi in Anjarakandy.

According to the complaint, Asikh bought a packet of Parle 20-20 biscuits, labelled as 150 grams, from Metro Hyper Market at Chakkarakkal on July 26, 2024. After weighing the packet at a nearby shop, he found it contained only 125 grams. He later approached the Consumer Commission seeking redressal.

Parle argued that the packet produced before the Commission might not have been manufactured by the company, stating that its products are made entirely through automated manufacturing processes.

Metro Hyper Market, meanwhile, contended that the biscuits were manufactured by Parle and argued that any discrepancy in weight was the manufacturer's responsibility.

After examining the evidence, including a report from the Legal Metrology Department, the Commission concluded that the packet was a genuine Parle product. It held that selling an underweight product amounted to a deficiency in service and ruled that the retailer could not avoid liability.

Based on its findings, the Commission directed Parle to pay ₹25,000 as compensation and Metro Hyper Market to pay ₹10,000.

In addition, Parle was ordered to pay ₹10,000 towards litigation costs, while Metro Hyper Market was directed to pay ₹5,000 towards court expenses.

The Commission instructed both parties to pay the amounts within one month of receiving the order. If they fail to do so, the outstanding amount will attract 12 per cent annual interest from the date of the order until it is fully paid.