(This story originally appeared in on Jun 07, 2015)

NEW DELHI: The consumer affairs ministry is preparing a "strong" case against Nestle on the Maggi issue, which it will file in the national consumer forum. Sources said the ministry would file a petition on behalf of consumers , seeking damages from the multinational for selling an unsafe product, adopting unfair trade practices and running misleading advertisements.Consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan held a meeting with top officials on Friday to discuss the petition.As per Section 12(d) of Consumer Protection Act, 1986, the Central or state government can file a complaint in the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCRDC) in its individual capacity or as a representative of interests of consumers in general. However, no case has ever been filed under this section and if the ministry does go ahead, this will be a first.The Act also has a provision — section 14(hb) — under which the forum can direct the opposite party "to pay a sum as may be determined by it, if it is of the opinion that loss or injury has been suffered by a large number of consumers who are not identifiable conveniently." It also says that the minimum amount payable shall not be less than 5% of the value of defective goods sold to such consumers.As per section 10(A) of Consumer Protection Rules, the amount shall be credited to the Consumer Welfare Fund, where affected consumers cannot be identified. The fund can be used for welfare of consumers and even for reimbursing legal expenses incurred by a complainant, or class of complaints in a consumer dispute.