Ahmedabad Vegetarian Sues Restaurant for Rs 50 Lakh After Receiving Chicken Sandwich

Nirali, a vegetarian woman in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has filed a complaint against the restaurant ‘Pick Up Meals by Terra’ after receiving a chicken sandwich instead of the paneer tikka sandwich she ordered through a food delivery app on May 3rd.

According to NDTV, Nirali began eating the sandwich at her office in Science City before realizing the paneer had an unusual texture. Initially, she believed it to be soya, but soon discovered it was chicken. Nirali, who strictly adheres to a vegetarian diet, has never consumed non-vegetarian food.

Feeling deeply disturbed by the incident, Nirali filed a complaint against the eatery seeking damages. She has also written to the Deputy Health Officer of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. The Food Department responded by imposing a fine of Rs 5,000 on the restaurant.

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However, Nirali considers the fine insufficient compensation for the emotional distress caused. “The incident was dreadful and cannot be reversed,” she told India Today. “Rs 5,000 is not enough, and I will be going to consumer court.” Nirali is seeking Rs 50 lakh in compensation, stating that even a higher amount wouldn’t fully address the violation of her dietary restrictions.

The restaurant has yet to comment on the situation.

This incident is not an isolated one. Last month, Akash Gupta, a vegetarian, received non-vegetarian momos during the Hindu holy period of Chaitra Navratri, when many devotees abstain from meat consumption. Both the delivery platform and the restaurant promptly apologized and offered to resolve the issue.

In a similar case last year, Jodhpur’s consumer dispute forum fined online food delivery platform Zomato and their partner McDonald’s Rs 1 lakh for mistakenly delivering non-vegetarian food to a vegetarian customer.

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