‘How Can Consumer Forums Serve People?’ CJI Surya Kant Flags Years-Long Case Delays

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has expressed serious concern over the prolonged wait faced by litigants before consumer dispute commissions.

The issue came up during a Supreme Court hearing concerning the performance and functioning of consumer redressal bodies.

Justice Surya Kant referred to a reported case that had remained pending since 2019, with the matter reportedly listed for hearing only once in 2022.

The CJI questioned how consumer commissions could serve their intended purpose when cases remained without meaningful hearings for extended periods.

Justice Surya Kant stressed that lawmakers established consumer forums to offer people a quicker and more affordable route to justice. He indicated that years-long delays could undermine the very reason for creating specialised consumer dispute mechanisms.

The Bench also questioned whether existing infrastructure and resources were delivering the expected benefits to consumers.

The Supreme Court has directed the President of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission to submit a detailed assessment. The assessment will cover consumer forums across the country.

The proposed report must cover the number of unresolved matters, vacant positions, and the disposal performance of individual benches.

The court has additionally asked authorities to examine whether the country requires more consumer commissions to manage the existing workload.

The NCDRC Chairman must place the report before the Supreme Court within two weeks.

The Bench has instructed State Consumer Commissions and State Consumer Affairs Departments to provide comprehensive information about pending cases.

The data must contain year-wise figures so that the court can measure the backlog and determine the factors responsible for the continuing delays.

The Supreme Court has underlined the need for both the Union and state governments to address vacancies in consumer commissions as a priority.

The Bench has also called for stronger institutional arrangements to enable these bodies to deal efficiently with their growing caseload.

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