Consumer panel relief for Adi Godrej

Consumer panel relief for Adi Godrej

The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has set aside an order of the district consumer forum directing Adi Godrej, chairman and managing director of Godrej Consumer Products and Nadir Godrej, chairman of Godrej Industries Employees Co-operative Credit Society Ltd, to pay one of its former employees Rs30,900, for refunding late, the amount deposited by him in the credit society. The commission while setting aside the order observed that “We are of the view that when the appellants had satisfied complainant’s dues on 22/09/2009, there was no propriety for the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum to proceed further with the complaint and pass further order directing appellants to pay.” The state commission passed the order on April 16, while hearing the appeal by the chairman and the company, who were told by the forum to make the payment jointly and severally, on the complaint of a former member of the credit society Vipin Dwivedi, who resigned from the membership of society on October 8, 2001, and requested the society to refund him the amount of shares. The refund amounted to Rs8,569 and Rs53,647. Advocate SB Prabhawalkar, appearing for Godrej, argued that Dwivedi had caused wrongful loss of Rs7 to 8 lakh to the company and, so, Nadir Godrej, told the credit society not to make any payment to him. The commission termed Diwedi’s complaint filed in 2007 as barred by limitation and on that count itself the plea should have been rejected by the forum.