Zomato, Pune restaurant fined Rs 55,000 for serving chicken instead of paneer

Pune: India’s famous home delivery food application Zomato and a hotel in Pune have been fined Rs 55,000 by a consumer court in the city for delivering non-vegetarian food to a lawyer who had ordered a vegetarian dish.

The consumer court directed Zomato to pay the fine within 45 days to city-based lawyer Shanmukh Deshmukh who was delivered non-veg food not just once, but twice, as reported by IANS.

He had ordered paneer butter masala but was delivered butter chicken instead.

"Since the curries of both dishes look alike, he didn't realise it was a chicken dish and ate it," said the reports.

According to Zomato, the lawyer complained against the food delivery platform to defame it as it had refunded his amount.

Zomato passed the buck to the hotel authorities ahead of consumer forum stating that the error lay with the hotel which supplied the wrong dish, but the forum considered it to be equally guilty.

The hotel, however, admitted its mistake.

Zomato and the hotel were directed to pay Rs 50,000 for deficiency in service and the remaining amount for mental harassment.