Bengaluru man sues restaurant for charging 40 paise extra, but case backfires

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A senior citizen in Bengaluru sued a restaurant for overcharging him 40 paise on his food bill, but the case boomeranged as the consumer court pulled him up for wasting its time and directed him to pay Rs 4,000 as compensation to the restaurant owner, according to a <em>Times of India</em> report.  </p>
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A senior citizen named Murthy visited Hotel Empire on Central Street and ordered food for takeaway in May last year. The restaurant staff gave him a bill of Rs 265.</p>
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Murthy said that he was being charged 40 paise extra as the total amount of the bill was Rs 264.60.</p>
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Murthy sought Re 1 as compensation from the restaurant, saying that the incident had caused him "mental shock and agony", according to a Times of India report.</p>
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While Murthy argued his own case, the restaurant hired lawyers to represent him.</p>
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The lawyers representing the restaurant argued that the staff had charged the next round figure as tax in the bill and not for the food, which is permitted under section 170 of Central Goods and Services Tax Act 2017.</p>
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The court cited a government circular that states an amount over 50 paise could be rounded off to the nearest rupee.</p>
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The court ruling stated that Murthy had used the case for personal publicity and wasted the time of the court, the restaurant and its representatives.</p>