Woman Demands One Crore Compensation From Restaurant For Sending Her Non-Veg Pizza

Woman moves consumer court: A woman moved to consumer court complaining against an American pizza restaurant chain outlet that delivered her a non-vegetarian pizza.

The vegetarian woman also asked for compensation of ₹one crore from the restaurant for hurting her "religious beliefs".

The woman has been identified as Deepali Tyagi who is a pure vegetarian. Tyagi in her petition wrote that she chooses to not eat non-veg food due to her "teachings, family traditions, religious beliefs, her own conscience and her best choice."

In March 2019, Tyagi ordered a vegetarian pizza from the said pizza restaurant at her Ghaziabad residence. She alleged that the outlet sent her a non-veg pizza and she and her family realised it only after taking a bite.

She said that the order was placed on Holi and her kids were hungry after the celebrations. Tyagi alleged that the delivery was late than the company's 30-minute timeframe. Because her family was, Tyagi ignored the late delivery and decided to eat it. She said that she found pieces of meat instead of mushroom in her pizza.

Her counsel Farhat Warsi addressed the consumer court and said that Tyagi had called customer care and raised the complaint against their "gross" negligence. Later on March 26, the pizza restaurant chain's supposed district manager called Tyagi and offered free pizzas for the family. Warsi said that Tyagi told the manager that it was a much serious complaint as her family's religious practices were spoiled and gave her a "permanent mental agony". She also said that she will have to go through "several long and expensive rituals" during her life to rectify the mistake.

The district manager then said that the matter will be transferred to the legal team of the chain. Warsi told consumer court, " That the opposite party's negligent manner of performance has contaminated complainant body with food mixed with animal meat that was acquired by killing and cutting short the life given by God to any animal. In her religious belief killing any animal and eating its meat is a "paap" (sin).

"The opposite party has a deceitfully involved complainant in that sin of eating animal meat. They have wounded her soul giving her mental agony for her whole life. They have ravaged her religious belief," the petition read. Tyagi has asked the consumer court to direct the pizza restaurant chain to give her one crore rupees and pay her compensation for "mental harassment and financial hardships caused" by them. The Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has sought a response from the restaurant chain and has further scheduled a hearing on March 17.