JALANDHAR, June 18 -- In a significant ruling protecting consumer rights, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Jalandhar, has directed a restaurant to pay Rs.15,000 as compensation to a lawyer after it was found guilty of levying a mandatory service charge on a food bill without the customer's consent.

The Commission held that imposing a service charge without prior approval from the consumer amounts to an unfair trade practice and ordered the restaurant to refund the amount collected under the service charge besides paying compensation for mental harassment caused to the complainant.

The order was passed by a bench comprising President Harveen Bhardwaj and Members Jyotsna and Jaswant Singh Dhillon while deciding a compl...