After two washes, the new pair perforated from the thighs. The shopkeeper, however, refused to replace it the second time round, after which Naveen moved the consumer court.

The Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (PSCDRC) has directed the garment shop owner to pay Rs 2,000 as compensation for causing harassment to the consumer. The shop owner has also been asked to pay Rs 1,000 towards litigation costs and replace the trousers or refund the amount.

Calling it a rare case that sets an example of increased consumer awareness, Justice S N Aggarwal, president of the PSCDRC, said when the first pair of trousers sold by the appellants had proved defective, it was presumed that the second pair, too, had a manufacturing defect.

“It’s a rare case in which the harassed consumer has knocked the doors of the forum when all doors seemed closed,” said Aggarwal.

Naveen had purchased a pair of trousers for Rs 499 from Bhalla Garments, an authorised franchise of Koutons Retail India Limited, in January 2008. After a wash, its

‘coterie strips’ were washed away. The shop replaced it but the new pair too seemed to have a manufacturing defect.

With his demand for another replacement not entertained by the shopkeeper, Naveen moved the district consumer forum in Sangrur.