The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum directed Hotel Taj Krishna on Road No 1, Banjara Hills, to pay Rs 2,87,000 for causing great inconvenience and mental agony to a Hyderabad resident Dr. P S Gnaneswar (60) of Kothapet.
The doctor had booked the wedding of his daughter at Taj Krishna in April 2016 and paid Rs 13,95,000 in cash for lunch, an additional Rs 31500 for breakfast, Rs 3 lakh for flowers, and Rs 1000 for pandal erection and arranging air coolers on its open lawn.
However, P Gnaneswar later complained to the hotel, saying that he was subjected to great mental agony and loss of repute among his guests as it delayed handing over the venue.
While Taj Krishna was supposed to hand over the venue by 6 am, they did it at 7.30 am and handed over the lawns at 10.30 am. This led to rushed preparations that resulted in the loss of the reputation of Dr. Gnaneswar.
Initially, Taj Krishna denied all charges and maintained that there were no complaints at the time of settling the bills, and the person who booked the hotel was P Suguneswar. They also claimed they had CCTV footage to prove the same.
However, Dr. Gnaneswar persisted, and the Consumer Forum observed that Taj Krishna could not provide any substantial evidence on the contrary and failed to submit CCTV footage.
Finally, Dr. Gnaneswar was granted compensation and an additional Rs 20,000 as litigation charges. If the hotel fails to pay the sum within 45 days, they will be charged 9 percent interest on the amount.
