The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Saturday said it has taken suo motu action against 27 restaurants for mandatory levying of service charges in violation of the law. These restaurants have been fined up to Rs 50,000, and were asked to refund the service charge amount to customers and also modify their billing system, as the mandatory levy of service charge has been declared as an unfair trade practice. The CCPA took action based on consumer complaints on the government helpline number. According to an official statement by the Department of Consumer Affairs, the CCPA has taken "suo motu cognizance against 27 restaurants located across the country for violation of consumer rights and adoption of unfair trade practices under Section 2(47) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, relating to the mandatory levy of service charge". Investigations revealed that several restaurants, including Caf Blue Bottle, Patna, and China Gate Restaurant Pvt Ltd (Bora Bora), Mumbai, wer