Read the following passage and answer the question.
Mr. Mehta bought a bottle of water from Zaika Bazaar, a restaurant in Karkardooma Complex, Delhi. He read the label on the bottle, which showed a maximum retail price (MRP) of ₹18, but he was asked to pay ₹38 for it. He filed a complaint, and the District Commission directed the restaurant owner to pay him a compensation of ₹15,000 for overcharging. The Commission said that no trader or service provider can charge more than the MRP printed on a packed item. It also ordered the restaurant owner to discontinue the malpractice. The order came at a time when consumer courts are acting strictly against shop-owners who overcharge. In an earlier case, a consumer commission had fined a cineplex ₹50,000 for a similar malpractice.
Read the following statements and choose the correct option.
Assertion (A): The Commission’s order in Mr. Mehta’s case reflects the approach of caveat venditor.
Reason (R): Caveat venditor means ‘Let the buyer beware’.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A) is true but (R) is false.
Assertion (A): The Commission’s order in Mr. Mehta’s case reflects the approach of caveat venditor. — True. Caveat venditor means ‘Let the seller beware’. The Commission held the seller to the printed MRP and made him pay compensation, so it is the seller who must be careful.
Reason (R): Caveat venditor means ‘Let the buyer beware’. — False. ‘Let the buyer beware’ is caveat emptor, the earlier approach of a seller’s market.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Introduction … Can business afford to ignore the interests of consumers? The market forces have changed from a seller market i.e., the earlier approach of caveat emptor which means Let the buyer beware, to a consumer market i.e., caveat venditor which implies Let the seller beware. A consumer is said to be a KING in the free market economy. Hence, consumer protection has significance for both consumers and business alike. Under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, the Government of India has conferred a legal protection to safeguard interests of a consumer.” |