'Lucky' locket buyer loses business and falls sick after purchase: Hyderabad jeweller who promised prosperity ordered to pay Rs 10 lakh

A Visakhapatnam man bought a Rs 1.16 lakh silver locket from a Hyderabad jewellery shop after being told it had been energised through Vedic rituals and would bring prosperity. Within weeks, he said his business had collapsed, his health had declined, and his life had turned upside down. A consumer commission has now ruled that the shop used religious rituals as a sales trap, and ordered it to pay up.

What happened at the shop

Lanka Mohana Rao, a resident of Dabagardens in Visakhapatnam, visited the shop in the third week of December 2023. According to his complaint, the shop's representatives persuaded him to purchase the locket, claiming it had been energised through Vedic rituals including pooja, homam, yagnam, and mantras.


He wore the locket as instructed. Within weeks, he said he fell ill for about a month and claimed his real estate business collapsed entirely during the period. He said he lost money, felt stressed, and became socially withdrawn.

In March 2024, he removed the locket. He claimed his condition improved after that.

He sent a legal notice to the shop in October 2024 demanding a refund. The shop did not respond. He then filed a complaint before the consumer commission in November 2024.

What the shop argued

Adrustar Jewels contested the complaint on several grounds. The shop said its cash receipt clearly stated that results are not guaranteed and may vary from person to person. It argued the transaction was a straightforward sale of goods and that no service contract promising specific outcomes was ever made.

The shop also said it had performed rituals in good faith and advised the complainant to work hard and exercise caution in business. It claimed it could not be held responsible for every misfortune in the complainant's life and accused him of attempting to extract money through false allegations.

On the question of jurisdiction, the shop argued the complaint should not have been entertained in Visakhapatnam since the business was located in Hyderabad.

What the commission found

The commission, comprising President Dr. Gudla Tanuja, Male Member Varri Krishna Murthy, and Woman Member Rahimunnisa Begum, rejected the shop's arguments one by one.

On jurisdiction, the commission held that under Section 34 of the Consumer Protection Act 2019, a complaint can be filed where the complainant resides or works, which in this case was Visakhapatnam.

On the nature of the transaction, the commission said that having sold the locket to the complainant, the shop stepped into the shoes of a seller and was fully accountable for unfair trade practices and any defects in the product.

The commission's sharpest observation was about the receipt itself. The terms and conditions printed on it, including the no-refund, no-guarantee, and no-exchange clauses, were printed in what the commission described as "mini minute letters" that were not visible to the naked eye without close examination.

The bench held that prospective customers were not informed of these terms clearly before purchase, depriving them of the ability to make an informed decision. This, the commission said, amounted to an unfair trade practice.

The punitive damages angle

The commission went further than just ordering a refund. It noted that the sale of lucky stones using religious rituals as a sales hook, promising improvements in business, marriage, jobs, and lifestyle, is a widespread practice across India. It said such sellers exploit consumers' beliefs, traditions, and vulnerabilities to tap into a ready market.

Calling it a "structured unfair trade practice," the commission said punitive damages were necessary to deter such conduct and directed Rs 10 lakh to be deposited with the AP State Legal Services Authority specifically for consumer literacy programmes.

The commission also cautioned the shop against making what it called "unwarranted supervisory remarks" on the consumer forum's role, after the shop argued that belief-based claims had no place before a consumer commission.

What the order says

The shop has been directed to comply within one month of receiving the order. If it fails to do so, the total decretal amount of Rs 1,77,000, covering the refund, compensation, and costs but excluding punitive damages, will carry interest at 9 per cent per annum from the date of default until full payment is made.

The complainant has been directed to return the silver locket to the shop once payment is received.

Check the case judgement here: