Consumer court notice to Nestle on Rs.640-crore 'Maggi' suit

New Delhi, Aug 17: The apex consumer court on Monday served a notice on Nestle India over the government's Rs.640-crore unfair trade practice class action suit related to Maggi noodles and fixed Sep 30 as the next date of hearing. A bench of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, comprising Justice V.K. Jain and Justice B.C. Gupta, directed Nestle to respond to the notice by Sep 30 and allowed the government to send samples of Maggi noodles to an accredited laboratory for tests on lead content and MSG. "The court has accepted to hear the case for unfair trade practice and misleading consumers through advertisements and packaging," Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain said after the preliminary hearing. During the hearing, the bench expressed doubt over the government's cause of action, saying the Bombay High Court's judgment in the matter had dealt with the issue of lead content.