The government has maintained that there is little scope for legal action against hotels and restaurants for overcharging of mineral water as the Delhi High Court held that it does not violate any provisions of the law.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister K V Thomas said, "Yes sir, the government is aware of such unfair practices.”
However, the "scope for legal action against such practice is limited," because the Delhi High Court in a writ petition has held: "charging prices for mineral water in excess of MRP printed during the service of customers in hotels and restaurants does not violate any of the provisions of the Standards of Weights and Measures Act", he said in a report by Business Standard. The Court further said that it does not constitute a sale or transfer of the commodity by the hotelier or restaurateur to its customers, he added. To create awareness about consumer rights, Thomas mentioned that the government runs several media campaigns to make consumers aware about the maximum retail price (MRP). Earlier a guest complained against Kamat Hotels at the Raigad Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum for charging more than the MRP for one litre bottle of water. The district forum in its order moved the company to not sell the brand at a higher price in its hotels. Later when the company made an appeal against the order at Maharashtra State Consumer Disputes Redressal forum, the body quashed the appeal and upheld the order. Most hotels and restaurants in the country normally charge more than the listed MRP.
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