High Court Sets Aside Consumer Court’s Verdict Against 3 Bread Companies

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has imposed a Rs. 1.5 million fine on a consumer after overturning a lower court’s ruling against three bread manufacturers in a case involving allegations of moldy and expired bread.

In its judgment, the SHC accepted the appeals filed by the bread companies and set aside an earlier consumer court decision that had ordered them to pay Rs. 110,000. The court also directed that the amount already deposited by the manufacturers be refunded.

The case dates back to 2019, when complainant Aurangzeb approached the consumer court, alleging that he had purchased bread containing fungus.

However, the SHC ruled that the complainant failed to present sufficient evidence to support his allegations. According to the judgment, he did not produce photographs of the allegedly contaminated bread or obtain any laboratory testing to verify the claim.

The court also noted that no medical records or expert evidence were presented to show that the complainant had suffered any illness after consuming the bread.

The SHC observed that the complaint lacked the basic evidentiary requirements needed to proceed and should have been dismissed at the preliminary stage.

It further held that the consumer court erred in penalizing the manufacturers without meeting the necessary legal standards. Although the lower court had rejected the complainant’s claim for damages, it had still ordered the companies to bear litigation costs.

Finding the complaint to be unsubstantiated, the Sindh High Court allowed the appeals filed by the three bread manufacturers and imposed a Rs. 1.5 million penalty on the complainant.