CHENNAI: A consumer court has slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on ITC Limited company for packing one biscuit less in a 16-biscuit Sun Feast Marie Gold packet. The court slapped the fine on the company after considering a complaint filed by a Chennai native who alleged that the company was cheating its customers by packing one biscuit less than what was mentioned on the packet. Chennai native Dillibabu lodged the complaint after finding that there were only 15 biscuits inside the 16-biscuit pack bought from a shop.

Dillibabu had bought 2 packs of Sun Feast Marie Gold biscuits from a retail store for feeding stray dogs. Upon opening the packets, he found that each packet contained only 15 biscuits and not 16 as mentioned in the pack. Although he immediately approached the shopkeeper, he did not receive a positive response. Dillibabu then approached ITC. However, he did not receive any explanation from the company either.

Following this, Dillibabu approached the consumer court. 'Each biscuit costs 75 paise. ITC Ltd produces close to 50 lakh packages every day. Back-of-the-envelope calculations would indicate that the company defrauded the public of over Rs 29 lakh every day,' Dillibabu said in his complaint. However, the company argued in court that it was selling its product based on weight and not on the number of biscuits.

The court then ordered an examination of the product's weight. The biscuit packet's advertised net weight was 76 grams. The weight analysis revealed that the packet of 15 biscuits weighed just 74 grams. Following this, the court ordered the company to pay a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh to the customer. The court issued the order by pointing out that the company was not able to provide a satisfactory explanation.