Lizard in Bhatura case at Elante Mall Chandigarh : Consumer Court Orders Sagar Ratna to Pay Compensation

North Desk Bureau

Chandigarh, April 14

Nearly four years after a retired government doctor found a live lizard beneath his bhatura at a Chandigarh mall restaurant, a consumer court has ruled against the outlet — and the verdict has exposed a second, less-reported food safety failure at the same establishment. It has ordered that the complainants be compensated Rs 50,000 for causing trauma, mental agony and harassment, and litigation expenses.

The Chandigarh District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission delivered its judgment on last week in a case filed by Dr. Jagjiwan Kumar Bansal and his wife Sarita Bansal — residents of Sector 15, Chandigarh — against Sagar Ratna Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. and its franchisee, M/s Aakash Restaurants and Foods Pvt. Ltd., which operates in the food court of Nexus Elante Mall.

What happened that night in June 2022?

On June 14, 2022, Dr. Bansal, a retired government doctor aged 69, and his wife visited the Sagar Ratna food court outlet at Nexus Elante Mall. They parked their vehicle at 5:19 PM, and at 8:13 PM ordered one channa bhatura and one masala dosa, paying ₹410 by card.

While eating, after finishing one and a half bhatura, Dr. Bansal discovered a small live lizard lying beneath the second bhatura on his plate. The reptile appeared to be in a semi-conscious state.

When the couple reported the discovery to the restaurant manager, they allege he responded dismissively. They then called the police. An ASI named Dharminder inspected the plates, and the incident was formally recorded as a Daily Diary Report at 1:14 AM on June 15, 2022.

What did the Food Safety team find?

A Health Department team, led by Food Safety Officer Nisha Syal, visited the outlet the same night at approximately 10:45 PM after being alerted by police.

Upon inspection, she found food items including bhatura, channa, sambhar and dosa being prepared and sold under what the court record describes as “unhygienic and insanitary conditions.” The outlet was challaned under Section 56 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

Food samples — including prepared channa and bhatura — were seized and sent for laboratory analysis.

And what did the lab find?

Here the case takes a second, damaging turn for Sagar Ratna.

A Food Analyst’s report dated June 28, 2022, declared the channa sample substandard due to the presence of Sunset Yellow — an acidic synthetic colour not permitted in that food product.

This triggered a separate regulatory action. The Food Safety Officer filed complaints before the Adjudicating Officer-cum-District Magistrate, Chandigarh, under multiple sections of the Food Safety and Standards Act. In September 2023, the Adjudicating Authority imposed two separate penalties:

• ₹25,000 upon the manager and franchisee for operating under unhygienic conditions
• ₹50,000 upon the franchisee for the adulterated channa

What was Sagar Ratna’s defence?

The parent company — Sagar Ratna Restaurants Pvt. Ltd., headquartered in New Delhi — did not appear before the commission at all and was proceeded against ex-parte on August 14, 2024.

The franchisee, however, contested the complaint. Its defence rested on two arguments: first, that the food was served in “satisfactory condition” from the counter and the lizard could not have survived the high cooking temperatures, suggesting it may have entered the plate from the common food court area — which, it said, was outside its control. Second, it argued there was no laboratory report specifically about the lizard, and no medical evidence of the nausea and giddiness the complainants described.

The Food Safety Officer stated she had already taken all necessary statutory action under law and bore no further liability.

How did the Commission rule?

The bench — comprising President Pawanjit Singh and Member Suresh Kumar Sardana — noted that key facts in the case were essentially undisputed: the complainants did visit the outlet, they paid ₹410 for food, a live lizard was found and immediately reported to police, a DDR was filed, the food was inspected by the Food Safety Officer the same night, and the channa was independently found to be substandard.

The Commission found that the incidents cumulatively amounted to deficiency in service on the part of Sagar Ratna and its franchisee.

Why does this case matter beyond the lizard?

The lizard is what made headlines in 2022 — the incident went viral on social media. But the consumer court case reveals a more systemic problem: the same outlet was simultaneously found to be selling channa adulterated with Sunset Yellow, a synthetic dye that regulators had flagged.

Consumer rights advocates point out that while food safety penalties of ₹25,000 and ₹50,000 may act as regulatory action, the consumer court route — sought independently by the affected family — is the key mechanism through which a customer can personally receive compensation for harm suffered.

Related case: High Court Clears Haryana Cops Convicted for Prisoner’s Escape: ‘System Failed Them’