Lok Sabha Question No. 1424 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-11
Subject: Disposal of Pending Consumer Cases
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Sanjay(Kaka) Ramchandra Patil, Sudhakar Tukaram Shrangre, Devji Mansingram Patel, Pratima Bhoumik

## ORIGINAL IN HINDI

## Government of India Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

## Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1424 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2020

## DISPOSAL OF PENDING CONSUMER CASES

1424. SHRI SANJAY KAKA PATIL: SHRI SUDHAKAR TUKARAM SHRANGARE: SHRI DEVJI M. PATEL: MS. PRATIMA BHOUMIK: (OIH)

## Will the Minister of CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Union Government proposes to increase the number of consumer courts for  early  disposal  of  pending  cases  in  consumer  courts  of  the  country,  if  so,  the details  thereof  along  with  the  number  of  the  existing  consumer  courts  at  various levels;
- (b) whether a large number of cases are pending in consumer courts across the country and if so, the number of pending cases therein till date, the details thereof, Statewise;
- (c) the reasons for large number of vacancies of chairmen and members in consumer courts across the country and the remedial steps taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (d) whether any special provision has been made or likely to be  made by the Union Government for early disposal of such pending cases and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h ¼Jh nkuos jkolkgsc nknkjko½

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI DANVE RAOSAHEB DADARAO)

(a)  : As per the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, the State Governments are to establish a State Commission in the state and a District Forum in each district of the State.  The State Government may, if it deems fit, establish more than one District Forum in a district.  At present, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, 35 State Commissions and 675 District Consumer Disputes Redressal Fora have been established.

(b)  :  The  details  of  the  pending  cases,  as  per  information  provided  by  the  National Commission, are given in the Annexure.

(c)  : As per the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, it is the responsibility of the State Government/UT concerned to fill up the vacancies of President and Member in the District Forum and the State Commission.  The Central Government has been writing from time to time to the States to initiate advance action for filling up of the existing and anticipated  vacancies.    As  regards  National  Consumer  Disputes  Redressal  Commission (NCDRC),  the  Central  Government  fills  up  the  vacancies  of  President  and  Member. Applications have been invited to fill up the vacancies in the NCDRC.

(d)  :  For monitoring and supervision of the functioning of the State Commissions and the District Fora, the National Commission has issued, with the prior approval of the Central Government, the Consumer Protection (Administrative Control over the State Commission and the District  Forum)  Regulations,  2018.    In  addition,  various  steps  are being taken by the National Commission and the State Commissions for speedy disposal of  consumer  cases  by  holding  Circuit  Benches.    The  National  Commission  has  also constituted Single Member Bench(es) for speedy disposal of cases.  Matters of the same / similar nature are being bunched together for disposal. Further, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which has been published in Official Gazette on 9 th August 2019, provides for simplification of the adjudication process in the Consumer Fora  which will reduce the pendency of the cases.

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## ANNEXURE  REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.1424  FOR  11.02.2020  DISPOSAL  OF  PENDING CONSUMER CASES.

| Sl. No.   |                              | Cases Pending As on 31/12/2019      |
|-----------|------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
|           | National Commission          | 21,151                              |
| Sl. No. 1 | Name of State Andhra Pradesh | Cases Pending As on 31/12/2019 1448 |
| 2         | A &NIslands                  | 5                                   |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh            | 9                                   |
| 4         | Assam                        | 502                                 |
| 5         | Bihar                        | 2650                                |
| 6         | Chandigarh                   | 892                                 |
| 7         | Chattisgarh                  | 474                                 |
| 8         | Daman &Diu and DNH           | 5                                   |
| 9         | Delhi                        | 7830                                |
| 10        | Goa                          | 170                                 |
| 11        | Gujarat                      | 5266                                |
| 12        | Haryana                      | 3759                                |
| 13        | Himachal Pradesh             | 493                                 |
| 14        | Jammu &Kashmir               | 1489                                |
| 15        | Jharkhand                    | 922                                 |
| 16        | Karnataka                    | 9818                                |
| 17        | Kerala                       | 2624                                |
| 18        | Lakshadweep                  | 2                                   |
| 19        | Madhya Pradesh               | 11418                               |
| 20        | Maharashtra                  | 18408                               |
| 21        | Manipur                      | 6                                   |
| 22        | Meghalaya                    | 15                                  |
| 23        | Mizoram                      | 20                                  |
| 24        | Nagaland                     | 29                                  |
| 25        | Odisha                       | 6978                                |
| 26        | Puducherry                   | 63                                  |
| 27        | Punjab                       | 1034                                |
| 28        | Rajasthan                    | 5007                                |
| 29        | Sikkim                       | 5190                                |
| 30        | Tamil Nadu                   | 4381                                |
| 31        | Telangana                    | 2855                                |
| 32        | Tripura                      | 19                                  |
| 33        | Uttar Pradesh                | 25692                               |
| 34        | Uttarakhand                  | 1302                                |
|           | West Bengal                  | 5186                                |
| 35        | TOTAL                        | 1,25,961                            |

## Cases Pending in all District For a state-wise

| Sl. No.   | Name of State      | Cases Pending as on 31/12/2019   |
|-----------|--------------------|----------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh     | 2512                             |
| 2         | A &NIslands        | 47                               |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh  | 29                               |
| 4         | Assam              | 1421                             |
| 5         | Bihar              | 15314                            |
| 6         | Chandigarh         | 1757                             |
| 7         | Chattisgarh        | 7245                             |
| 8         | Daman &Diu and DNH | 1712                             |
| 9         | Delhi              | 17579                            |
| 10        | Goa                | 141                              |
| 11        | Gujarat            | 24715                            |
| 12        | Haryana            | 11077                            |
| 13        | Himachal Pradesh   | 2362                             |
| 14        | Jammu &Kashmir     | 1937                             |
| 15        | Jharkhand          | 4125                             |
| 16        | Karnataka          | 9807                             |
| 17        | Kerala             | 12563                            |
| 18        | Lakshadweep        | 0                                |
| 19        | Madhya Pradesh     | 22720                            |
| 20        | Maharashtra        | 40117                            |
| 21        | Manipur            | 57                               |
| 22        | Meghalaya          | 80                               |
| 23        | Mizoram            | 51                               |
| 24        | Nagaland           | 54                               |
| 25        | Odisha             | 11669                            |
| 26        | Puducherry         | 243                              |
| 27        | Punjab             | 10887                            |
| 28        | Rajasthan          | 32228                            |
| 29        | Sikkim             | 29                               |
| 30        | Tamil Nadu         | 9261                             |
| 31        | Telangana          | 5142                             |
| 32        | Tripura            | 141                              |
| 33        | Uttar Pradesh      | 84852                            |
| 34        | Uttarakhand        | 2548                             |
| 35        | West Bengal        | 11348                            |
|           | TOTAL              | 3,45,770                         |

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