Consumer Court is a special purpose court in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. It primarily deals with consumer-related disputes, conflicts, and grievances. The

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...

holds hearings to adjudicate these disputes. When consumers file a case, the court primarily looks to see if they can prove the exploitation through evidence such as bills or purchase memos. In cases where no such evidence is presented, courts rarely rule in favor of the plaintiff. The Court mostly decides its verdict based on the violations of Consumer Rights(if any). The point of having a separate forum for consumer disputes is to ensure that such disputes are speedily resolved and make it less expensive.

Rights provided by consumer courts

The rights provided by the Court are listed below: # Right to

Safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

: The right to be protected from all types of hazardous goods and services. #

Right to Information The Right to Information (RTI) is an act of the Parliament of India which sets out the rules and procedures regarding citizens' right to information. It replaced the former Freedom of Information Act, 2002. Under the provisions of RTI Act, an ...

: The right to be fully informed about the performance and quality of all goods and services. # Right to Choose: The right to freely choose goods and services. # Right to be Heard: The right to be heard in all decision-making processes related to consumer interest. # Right to Seek Redressal: The right to seek compensation, whenever consumer rights have been infringed. # Right to

Consumer Education Consumer education is the preparation of an individual to be capable of making informed decisions when it comes to purchasing products in a consumer culture. It generally covers various consumer goods and services, prices, what the consumer can e ...

: The right to complete consumer education.
There are two more Rights specified but they don't come as part of the 6 main Rights mentioned above.

List of consumer courts

* National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC)]: A

that operates nationally and deals with cases where claimed compensation exceeds one crore (₹10 million). The National Commission is the apex body of Consumer Courts; it is also the highest appellate court in the hierarchy. The NCDRC is the highest judiciary of the consumer court, the consumer Supreme Court of India. * State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC): A court that works at the state level in cases where compensation claimed is between twenty ''

lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. For e ...

'' (₹2 million) and one ''

crore A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is eq ...

''. The State Commission has appellate jurisdiction over the District Forum. *District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (DCDRF): A court that works at the district level in cases where the claimed compensation is below twenty ''lakh''.

Process to file a complaint

To file a complaint, a consumer obtains a copy of the Consumer Protection Act. The format for filing a complaint is simple, with guidelines provided for reference. It is advisable to describe the facts and support the claim with comprehensive documentation. • The consumer must attach photocopied documents (evidence and references) in the complaint file. • A signed ''Vakalatnama'' should be attached with the documents. This authorises a lawyer to represent the case in the Consumer Court.

History

The consumer movement a social force originated in the 1960s with the mission of protecting and promoting the interests of consumers against unethical and unfair trade practices. Rampant food shortages, hoarding,

black market A black market, underground economy, or shadow economy is a clandestine market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality or is characterized by noncompliance with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the ...

ing, adulteration of food and

edible oil Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. It is also used in food preparation and flavoring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips, and may be called edible oil ...

gave birth to the consumer movement. In 1986 the movement led the

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

to enact the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 (COPRA).

Objectives

The main function of the consumer court is to offer redress to consumers and to maintain seller's orientation toward fairly treating the consumer. Approaching a consumer court is cheap as plaintiffs can represent themselves without a lawyer and are only required to pay a nominal fee.

References