The blade inside a beer bottle. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Jan. 12: A youth has sued a beer company for Rs 20 lakh after finding a razor blade in a bottle of beer.

Hearing the case today, the District Consumer Forum today issued a notice to Mount Shivalik Industries, the manufacturer of Thunderbolt beer, asking it to appear and explain its stand in the court.

The court criticised the company for existence of foreign substance in its product and deterioration of quality.

The complainant is a management student, Suryakant Pathak.

In his complaint lodged with the Forum, Pathak, a resident of Lohardaga who moved to the city for his studies, said he purchased a bottle of Thunderbolt Lager Beer from a wine shop on Kutchery Road on May 15, 2008.

After returning home, Pathak found a blade inside the bottle on close examination. The blade had sunk to the bottom of the bottle that was sealed. There were no signs of any external tampering.

Pathak had shelled out Rs 70 for the beer that he had purchased to beat the summer heat while taking a break from studies.

In his petition, Pathak has made Mount Shivalik Industries based in Alwar in Rajasthan a party in the case.

While presenting the case before the court today, Pathak’s counsel Chandra Kaushal produced the bottle of beer and showed the blade to the bench.

Kaushal said the bottle was sealed and bore the label and mark of Thunderbolt. He further argued that legal notices were sent to the company for supplying spurious products in the market, but no action was taken by it.

Pathak’s counsel also said that had his client consumed the ingredients of the bottle, he could have suffered injuries in his mouth and throat that could have been fatal. There could be damages to the mouth and internal parts of the body if the blade was swallowed, the counsel said.

Kaushal also said since the bottle was purchased by Pathak as a bonafide customer, he was entitled to damages which will be enforced by the Consumer Protection Act.

Parthak had, however, purchased the bottle, but had not obtained any receipt for the same.

Pathak then made Shivalik Industries a party in the case, claiming heavy pecuniary damages.

“The actions of the beer company cannot be excused. Under the act, a consumer is entitled to compensation by the supplier for any deficiency in the quality of goods. In the present case, the beer is spurious and has a foreign substance which ought not to be there and it was the responsibility of the company to ensure that its product was clean,” Kaushal said.