Temple’s ‘gold’ chariot turns black in 1yr; consumer court penalises firm

A consumer court in Chennai has ordered a company to pay compensation of INR 55,000 ($750) after a gold chariot made for a temple began to discolour within a year, despite assurances it would last a decade. The temple management paid an advance of INR 300,000 and handed over 317 grams of gold in 2011 to Ambattur-based Smart Creations, which guaranteed the gold would be of high purity and the shine would last 10 years. The chariot’s surface began to blacken and discolour, but the company took no steps to rectify the defects.