Published on: 19 November, 2025 20:19 IST
A Bengaluru woman has been awarded ₹1 lakh in compensation after a food delivery error led to her receiving prawns in a vegan sandwich she ordered, with the city’s consumer Forum holding both Swiggy and the restaurant, Paris Panini, liable for negligence. The panel found that serving non-vegetarian food to a vegan caused serious emotional and psychological harm and ordered the platform and restaurant to jointly compensate her.
On July 10, 2024, 37-year-old Nisha G, a lifelong vegetarian who turned vegan for ethical reasons, ordered a vegan sandwich from Paris Panini via Swiggy but, on taking a bite, discovered pieces of prawn inside. Deeply distressed, she performed cleansing rituals and visited the outlet the next day, where the manager admitted the error, blaming a rush period, and offered a replacement, which she refused, saying she felt humiliated and spiritually violated.
After sending a legal notice to Swiggy and Paris Panini on July 20, 2024, and receiving no response, Nisha filed a consumer complaint on August 22, 2024, alleging deficiency in service and breach of trust and seeking ₹2 lakh in compensation. Swiggy argued it was only a technology intermediary, while Paris Panini admitted the mix-up as a peak-hour mistake and even contended that a “typical vegan” would not usually choose a restaurant serving both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.
The Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ruled in her favour, holding both Swiggy and Paris Panini responsible for supplying non-vegetarian food to a vegan and terming it a serious lapse in service. The commission observed that sending non-vegetarian food to someone with religious, ethical, or health-based dietary restrictions cannot be treated lightly, as such negligence has emotional, religious, and psychological consequences.
The commission directed Swiggy and Paris Panini to jointly pay ₹50,000 as compensation and another ₹50,000 for mental agony, along with ₹5,000 towards litigation costs. It also ordered a refund of ₹146, the price of the sandwich, with 12% annual interest from the date of the order until the amount is realised.