Gurugram commission ordered Red Tape to pay Rs 26,000 over carry-bag charges.
Consumer Ravinder Jain was charged Rs 30 for three carry bags.
Red Tape must refund Rs 30, pay interest, compensation and litigation expenses.
A Rs 30 charge for three carry bags has led to a consumer commission order against Red Tape Limited in Gurugram. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Gurgaon, has directed the company to refund the amount and to pay compensation to the consumer.
The complaint was filed by Ravinder Jain, who visited a Red Tape outlet at Satya The Hive in Sector 102, Gurugram, on August 31, 2025. He purchased items worth Rs 4,713 and was additionally charged Rs 30 for three carry bags.
According to the order, Jain requested a complimentary carry bag, saying he was unable to manually carry the purchased items. The request was denied, following which he approached the consumer commission under Section 35 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The case was decided on August 4, 2026, by a three-member bench comprising Sanjeev Jindal, President, and members Jyoti Siwach and Khushwinder Kaur.s
While examining the complaint, the Gurugram Commission referred to earlier consumer cases involving charges for carry bags.
It cited a 2020 National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission decision in Big Bazaar, where the National Commission did not accept arguments that customers could be charged separately for carry bags or that the bags were being sold on a no-profit, no-loss basis.
The Gurugram Commission also referred to a Chandigarh State Commission ruling in M/s Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd. Vs Pankaj Chandgothia. In that case, the State Commission held that it was the duty of the retailer to provide free carry bags to customers who purchased articles from its shop.
The Gurugram Commission noted that the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, had been amended in 2018 and Rule 15 had subsequently been omitted. It said the retailer could not rely on the earlier provision that stated, “no carry bag shall be made available free of cost by the retailer to its customers”. The commission also referred to Section 36(5) of the Sale of Goods Act, 1930, concerning expenses associated with putting goods into a deliverable state.
The commission said, “Thus, under this provision of law also, all the expenses with regard to packaging, etc., shall be borne by the vendor in order to put goods into a deliverable state.”
The commission also discussed the wider implications of continuing the practice of charging for carry bags. It said, “a new trend to extort the money from the customers would start in the Nation, and, thus, the crores of consumers would be in the clutches of these types of daily outlets.”
The commission further held that the “OP in the present case has to be held as guilty of rendering deficiency in services and adopting an unfair trade practice against the complainant.”
The commission directed Red Tape to refund the Rs 30 charged for the three carry bags, along with interest at 9 per cent per annum from August 31, 2025, until realisation. Jain was also awarded Rs 15,000 as compensation for mental harassment, pain and agony, along with Rs 11,000 towards litigation expenses.
The compensation and litigation costs, therefore, total Rs 26,000, apart from the Rs 30 refund and applicable interest. The company has been given 45 days to comply with the order from the specified date of uploading. If it fails to comply, the amount will attract interest at 12 per cent per annum until actual realisation.
The commission also stated that the complainant could file an execution petition under Section 71(1) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, if the order is not complied with.
The order indicates the need for consumer rights, with the commission examining whether additional carry-bag charges amounted to a deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.
