Lok Sabha Question No. 925 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Speedy Justice in Consumer Courts
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Bharatiben Dhirubhai Shyal

## Government of India Department of Consumer Affairs

## ORIGINAL IN HINDI

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 925 (OIH)

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.02.2023

## SPEEDY JUSTICE IN CONSUMER COURTS

## 925. DR. BHARATIBEN DHIRUBHAI SHIYAL:

(OIH)

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

- (a) whether the Government proposes to organize Lok Adalat on the lines of Fast Track courts for speedy justice in consumer courts;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether it is true that the number of cases in consumer courts has increased each year and if so, the details thereof during the last three years, State-wise; and
- (d) the  steps  being  taken/likely  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  to  dispose  off  cases  in  consumer courts expeditiously?

## ANSWER

## miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h ( lk/oh fujatu T;ksfr )

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

- (a)  &  (b)  :    National  Legal  Service  Authority  holds  National  Lok  Adalat  on  regular  basis  where consumer  cases  are  also  taken  up.  The  Department  of  Consumer  Affairs  along  with  National  Legal Service Authority participated in the National Lok Adalat held on 12th November, 2022, in which 5930 cases were settled on a single day, out of 19,497 cases listed for settlement.
- (c)  : Detail of number of cases filed during last three years, State-wise is given at Annexure.
- (d)  : A special drive, namely, 'Grahak Madhyastata Samadhan' was held on 16.12.2022 at consumer commissions  across  the  nation.  In  Grahak  Madhyasthata  Samadhan,  the  Consumer  Commissions independently disposed of the cases through mutual settlement by conducting pre-counseling sessions.

The new Consumer Protection Act, 2019 provides for establishing Mediation Cells within the premises of Consumer Commissions to work as an Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism and cases  may  be  referred  to  these  Mediation  Cells  from  Consumer  Commissions  if  scope  for  early settlement exists and parties agree for it.

For  early  disposal  of  cases  in  Consumer  Commissions,  the  Consumer  Protection  Act,  2019 provides for, inter-alia, simplification of the adjudication process in the Consumer Commissions; filing of a complaint by a consumer in the Consumer Commission having jurisdiction with respect to his place of work/residence irrespective of place of transaction and place of business or residence of the opposite parties,  e-filing  of  cases  in  Consumer  Commissions  through  e-daakhil  portal,  video  conferencing  for hearing,  deemed  admissibility  of  complaints  if  admissibility  is  not  decided  within  21  days  of  filing; court monitored mediation to facilitate early disposal of cases; provision of product liability.

The  e-Daakhil  portal  has  been  launched  covering  34  States/UTs  to  provide  facility  to  all  the aggrieved consumers to register online consumer complaints in different Consumer Commissions from anywhere in India. It allows consumers to pay the complaints fees online, upload case documents and track  the  process.  The  purpose  is  to  provide  timely  and  effective  administration  and  settlement  of consumer disputes.

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  925  FOR  08.02.2023  REGARDING  SPEEDY  JUSTICE  IN  CONSUMER COURTS.

## Details of number of cases filed during last three years, State-wise as on 02.02.2023.

| CONSUMER COMMISSIONS IN STATES           |   2020 |   2021 |   2022 |
|------------------------------------------|--------|--------|--------|
| Andaman Nicobar                          |     31 |     21 |     23 |
| Andhra Pradesh                           |   1240 |   1588 |   2572 |
| Arunachal Pradesh                        |     12 |     13 |     22 |
| Assam                                    |    260 |    337 |    548 |
| Bihar                                    |   2178 |   2593 |   4905 |
| Chandigarh                               |   1649 |   2147 |   2121 |
| Chhattisgarh                             |   3665 |   3384 |   2764 |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |      7 |     12 |     18 |
| Delhi                                    |   2971 |   3945 |   4477 |
| Goa                                      |    175 |    262 |    175 |
| Gujarat                                  |   9580 |  14919 |  14669 |
| Haryana                                  |   9226 |  10361 |  11954 |
| Himachal Pradesh                         |    772 |   1038 |   2266 |
| Jharkhand                                |    500 |    659 |   1867 |
| Karnataka                                |   6905 |   7025 |   8912 |
| Kerala                                   |   4523 |   4971 |   6093 |
| Madhya Pradesh                           |  12814 |  17409 |  16285 |
| Maharashtra                              |  13782 |  20919 |  22400 |
| Manipur                                  |     17 |     30 |     74 |
| Meghalaya                                |     21 |     31 |     66 |
| Mizoram                                  |     36 |     56 |     67 |
| Nagaland                                 |      7 |     21 |     13 |
| Odisha                                   |   3194 |   3416 |   4085 |
| Puducherry                               |     34 |     48 |     45 |
| Punjab                                   |   8149 |   8273 |   7996 |
| Rajasthan                                |  10552 |  14774 |  14778 |
| Sikkim                                   |      7 |     14 |     22 |
| Tamil Nadu                               |   1956 |   2465 |   6937 |
| Telangana                                |   2634 |   3533 |   4364 |
| Tripura                                  |    134 |    270 |    512 |
| Uttar Pradesh                            |  13941 |  14974 |  20388 |
| Uttarakhand                              |   1717 |   1659 |   2214 |
| West Bengal                              |   4113 |   4687 |   6342 |
| TOTAL                                    | 116802 | 145854 | 169974 |

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