Modular kitchen not delivered after accepting advance; shop owner in Thiruvananthapuram sentenced to prison

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum directed the special Sub-Jail Superintendent to imprison the shopkeeper who did not deliver the modular kitchen to the customer as per the contract. The order came from district forum president PV Jayarajan and members Viju VR and Preeta G Nair.

The complainant was NR Narayan, a resident of Tirumala Jai ​​Nagar. According to the contract, S Santosh, the owner of Killipalam Popular Kitchen Gallery and a native of Pallichal Kalluvila, has to serve the jail sentence for not supplying the modular kitchen to the complainant. The contract amount was Rs 1,30,000 and the first installment of Rs 80,000 was given on November 2014. The agreement was to pay Rs 25,000 of the balance on completion of the first phase and Rs 25,000 on completion of the second phase. 35,000 was received by the shopkeeper from the complainant halfway through the first phase itself. Although the remaining 15,000 was demanded without completion of the first phase contrary to the agreement, the petitioner refused to pay. A petition was filed with the District Consumer Redressal Forum for a refund of the money which was already paid.

In September 2015, the forum ordered the shop owner to pay Rs 1,15,000 to the complainant and court costs of Rs 2,000, but the shop owner was yet to pay. Hence the complainant approached the forum again to enforce the judgment.