PESHAWAR: A consumer court on Thursday imposed a Rs50,000 fine on a major clothing brand for charging a customer for a shopping bag and ordered it to return the Rs30 it had charged for the bag.

Judge Nasrullah Khan Gandapur announced the verdict on the complaint of Shafaq Aamir, who had approached the court against a clothing brand for charging the shopping bag earlier in February this year.

Lawyer Ahsan Sardar represented the complainant, while Mohammad Omea Advocate appeared on behalf of the respondents.

In its judgement, the court noted that Shafaq Aamir, the complainant, had filed this complaint under Section 13 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Consumers Protection Act, 1997, (The Act) against a clothing brand, by asserting therein that she, on 20.12.2025, purchased clothing worth Rs7,000 from the respondent’s outlet she was additionally charged Rs30 for shopping bag imprinted with respondent’s promotional brand logo.

Declares respondent’s act in ‘given circumstances unfair trade’ under law

It said that the respondent in reply did not deny the allegation but added that respondent was not under obligation to provide bags to consumers free of charge rather offers optional bags on the specific demand of the consumer.

The court noted that after hearing the arguments of learned counsels for both parties and pursuing the materials on record to decide the controversy within the purview of Section 14(2)(b) of the Act.

The judgement said that it was obvious from the record on file that the complainant purchased the clothing from the respondents’ outlet against receipt already attached with the complaint clearly manifesting an extra amount of Rs30 for carrying a bag.

“The respondent conceded the sale of the clothing to the complainant and also the receipt issued to her with the price of the bag,” it said.

The court noted that the respondent, as appeared from the annexed receipt, purchased the clothing along with the bag, while the respondent was believed by his customers to have delivered the purchased items in a shopping bag without charges.

It said that the respondent admitted to be a leading fashion and lifestyle brand, acclaimed internationally and that the customer was being provided a shopping bag for Rs30 bearing the logo of its brand.

“The bag with the logo of the respondent is obviously provided for the promotion of the brand and that, too, at the cost of the consumers.

The respondent not only charged the complainant an extra amount but also used the bag to promote its brand.

The respondents otherwise would have to provide ordinary bags to the customers,” it said.

The court declared that the act of respondent in the given circumstances amounted to an unfair trade within the definition of Section 2(O)(xii)(xiii) of the Act,” it said.

The court accepted the instant complaint and directed the respondent to refund Rs30 to the complainant charged for the bag with compensation of Rs25,000 to her and also to pay a fine of Rs25,000 to be paid to the government accordingly.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2026