New Delhi: Coca Cola has been found guilty of deficiency in service by a Delhi consumer court for selling adulterated soft drinks.

Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission president Justice J D Kapoor, Members Rumnita Mittal and Mahesh Chandra have also ordered Coca Cola to pay Rs 10,000 to complainant Radha, a small vendor.

Rejecting Coca Cola's plea that its distributor Salman Cold Drinks normally deals in Pepsi drinks, the Commission said the bottles were of Coca Cola's and "there was no action taken by the company against spurious bottlers... Mere assurances and putting notices in the newspapers is not sufficient until and unless some curative action is taken against spurious bottlers".

Earlier District Consumer Forum had also held that Coca Cola, along with its distributor, was "jointly and severally responsible" for deficiency in service for supplying soft drink with bad odour to the vendor. Coca Cola then appealed to the State Commission.

Radha had purchased for Rs 192, a carton of soft drinks made by Coca Cola from its distributor Salman Cold Drinks on May 28, 1999.

One of Radha's customers, complained about the drink being spurious/adulterated and having bad odour and taste. Radha then took up the matter with Salman Cold Drinks but they refused to compensate her for loss of livelihood as no person would have purchased the drink from her. Though the District Forum had asked Coca Cola to pay Rs 15,000 to Radha, the State Commission reduced it to Rs 10,000.