Andhra temple shop charges customer extra Rs 7 on water bottle, fined Rs 7 lakh

A temple shop in Andhra Pradesh has been ordered to pay a hefty Rs 7 lakh penalty after allegedly charging a devotee more than the printed price of a water bottle. The East Godavari District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission also directed the shop to refund the excess amount and compensate the complainant.

The case was filed by D Venkateswara Rao against Satya Deva Fancy Coconuts and Cool Drinks, a licenced outlet operating on the premises of Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy Vari Devasthanam at Annavaram.

In its order dated August 28, 2026, issued in a consumer complaint, the Commission found that the vendor had collected Rs 7 above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of the packaged water bottle.

Apart from ordering a refund of the excess Rs 7, the commission awarded Rs 10,000 to the complainant as compensation and Rs s5,000 towards litigation expenses. It further directed the vendor to deposit Rs 7 lakh with the Consumer Welfare Fund.

The Commission also issued directions to the Devasthanam, asking it to use its supervisory powers to ensure that all licensed shops within the temple premises clearly display the MRP of packaged products.

The directions are intended to prevent similar instances of overcharging and safeguard devotees’ consumer rights.

The order is likely to prompt stricter monitoring of commercial outlets operating inside the temple premises and greater compliance with MRP rules.