Bailable warrants against Lifestyle MD

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 27

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum today issued bailable warrants against the manager of Lifestyle store at Elante Mall and the Managing Director, Lifestyle International Pvt Ltd, over non-compliance of its orders.

The forum has issued the warrants for May 23 for failing to provide free carry bags to customers and not paying the awarded compensation and costs of Rs 3,000 to complainants Pankaj Chandgothia and his wife Sangeeta Chandgothia.

Lifestyle has also not deposited Rs 10,000 in the Consumer Legal Aid account of the Secretary, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, as directed by the forum.

Earlier, on a complaint filed on September 4, 2018, by Pankaj and Sangeeta alleging unfair trade practice of sale of carry bags by the Lifestyle store, the forum had, on January 3, 2019, directed Lifestyle to provide free carry bags to all customers forthwith who purchase articles from its shop, to refund to the complainants the amount of Rs 5 wrongly charged for the paper carry bag, to pay Rs 1,500 to the complainants towards compensation for harassment and mental agony, to pay Rs 1,500 as litigation expenses and to deposit Rs 10,000 in the Consumer Legal Aid account maintained with the State Bank of India in the name of Secretary, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

The forum had directed the opposite party to comply with its orders within a month from the date of receipt of its certified copy.

Chandgothia contended before the forum that the state commission had also upheld the orders of the forum and dismissed the appeal of Lifestyle vide orders dated March 18, 2019. Although one-month time was given to the company to implement the orders, in spite of the passage of over two and a half months, Lifestyle had not implemented the orders. Lifestyle was continuing to charge for carry bags from customers all over India and was making crores of illegal money by violating the orders of the forum, he added. Hence, they were liable to be punished under Section 27 of the Consumer Protection Act. Forum president Rattan Singh Thakur, in his capacity as a Judicial Magistrate, issued bailable warrants against Hitesh Sharma, store manager, Lifestyle Store, Elante Mall, Chandigarh, and Vasanth Kumar, MD of Lifestyle International Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru, for May 23, said Chandgothia.