Snapdeal has landed in a soup… again.
The ecommerce giant that had seemingly landed a marketing coup by partnering with Nestle to sell exclusive “welcome back” packages of Maggi, is now being sued for the same.
An FIR was registered against Rohit Bansal, founder and CEO of Snapdeal, for allegedly selling Nestle’s Maggi noodles online during the ban period.
A Jaipur-based lawyer, Lalit Sharma filed a complaint after which police registered an FIR under sections 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 272 (adulteration of food or drink intended for sale), 273 (sale of noxious food or drink) of the IPC and sections 59 and 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
Maggi was banned in June by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which stated that it was “unsafe and hazardous” for consumption due to presence of lead beyond permissible limits. The company had withdrawn the noodles brand from the market. However, the Bombay High Court had revoked the ban on Maggi on October 19, making way for it to be back again on the shelves, amidst much celebration.
Snapdeal had created a huge marketing blitzkreg for Maggi’s comeback and had claimed to have sold 60,000 packets within 5 minutes of the flash sale.
This is the second time in recent times that Snapdeal finds itself in legal trouble for matters rather absurd, as back in Oct. Snapdeal was panned by angry users for brand ambassador Aamir Khan’s “anti-national” statements.