India, July 20 -- The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has initiated suo motu action against 41 restaurants across India for allegedly violating consumer rights by automatically levying service charges on customers' bills without their explicit consent.

The action follows complaints received through the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), the government said in a statement on Monday.

According to the statement, the complaints were supported by invoices showing that service charges had been added to bills by default without obtaining consumers' consent.

Following an investigation, the CCPA found that the practice violated the Guidelines to Prevent Unfair Trade Practices and Protection of Consumer Interest with Regard to Levy o...