Centipede in biryani: Restaurant to pay Rs 1L compensation to customer

CHENNAI: The Chennai (North) District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed SS Hyderabad Biryani to pay Rs 1.05 lakh as compensation and litigation costs to a customer who had purchased a bucket of mutton biryani from them only to find a dead centipede in it.

A bench comprising commission president D Gopinath and members Kavitha Kannan and TR Sivakumhar held the restaurant chain liable for deficiency in food service and unfair trade practice, observing that supplying contaminated food amounted to serving unsafe and unhygienic food unfit for human consumption.

The complainant M Ahammed Sidhique purchased the bucket biryani for Rs 3,500 from the Perambur outlet of the restaurant last December 30, during a ‘maruveedu’ function at his in-laws’.

According to the complaint, family members, including children and elderly, were having the dish when a child allegedly noticed an insect in it. The complainant inspected it and realised it was a dead centiped

The commission, in its order, observed that the incident caused shock, panic, embarrassment and emotional distress among family members.
“The presence of a centipede itself speaks volumes about the negligent handling of food,” the bench said, adding that a consumer purchasing food from a reputed restaurant legitimately expects adherence to basic hygiene and safety standards.

Rejecting the restaurant’s denial of liability, the bench observed that mere denial cannot outweigh the documentary evidence produced by the complainant.