Lok Sabha Question No. 137 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: Pending Cases in Consumer Courts
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Midhun Reddy

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 137 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.12.2022

## PENDING CASES IN CONSUMER COURTS

## 137. SHRI P.V. MIDHUN REDDY:

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

- (a) the details of the number of cases pending for hearing before the Consumer Courts across the country, State-wise;
- (b) the reasons for pendency of the cases in consumer courts;
- (c) whether the Government has taken any measures for quick disposal of pending cases; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h (श्री अश्विनी क ु मार चौबे)

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a)            : Details of number of cases pending before State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission and District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission is placed at Annexure.
- (b) to (d)  : Vacancy of Presidents/Members  in  Consumer  Commissions  across  the  Country  and  frequent adjournments are some of the major reasons for pendency of the cases.

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.  Section  38(7)  of  the  ibid  Act  also  prescribes  that  every  complaint  shall  be  disposed  of  as expeditiously as possible and endeavour shall be made to decide the complaint within a period of three months from the date of receipt of notice by opposite party where the complaint does not require analysis or testing of commodities and within five months if it requires analysis or testing of commodities.

Under  the  provisions  of  the  Consumer  Protection  Act,  2019,  it  is  the  responsibility  of  the  State Governments  to  fill  up  the  vacancies  of  President  and  Members  in  the  State  Commissions  and  District Commissions.  The  Central  Government  has  been  continuously  taking  up  with  the  State  Governments/UT Administrations for expeditious filling up of the existing and anticipated vacancies of President and Member of the Consumer Commissions.

The Department of Consumer Affairs along with National Legal Service Authority participated in the National  Lok Adalat held on 12.11.2022. Pending consumer cases having the element of mutual settlement were identified and with consent of parties were referred for settlement through National Lok Adalat held on 12th November 2022. Out of 19,497 cases which were listed for settlement, 5930 cases were settled on a single day .

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 137 FOR 07.12.2022 REGARDING CASES IN CONSUMER COURTS.

## CASES PENDING IN STATE CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION

| S. No.   | STATE COMMISSIONS                        |   FILED |   DISPOSED |   PENDING |
|----------|------------------------------------------|---------|------------|-----------|
| 1        | Andaman Nicobar                          |     123 |        114 |         9 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh                           |   17060 |      16296 |       764 |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh                        |     114 |        114 |         0 |
| 4        | Assam                                    |     821 |        463 |       358 |
| 5        | Bihar                                    |    2559 |        797 |      1762 |
| 6        | Chandigarh                               |   10215 |      10066 |       149 |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh                             |   13040 |      12652 |       388 |
| 8        | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |       1 |          0 |         1 |
| 9        | Delhi                                    |   27324 |      20942 |      6382 |
| 10       | Goa                                      |    1892 |       1680 |       212 |
| 11       | Gujarat                                  |   37985 |      33681 |      4304 |
| 12       | Haryana                                  |   12750 |       8060 |      4690 |
| 13       | Himachal Pradesh                         |    7227 |       6664 |       563 |
| 14       | Jammu and Kashmir                        |    1799 |         76 |      1723 |
| 15       | Jharkhand                                |    2947 |       1976 |       971 |
| 16       | Karnataka                                |   25665 |      16661 |      9004 |
| 17       | Kerala                                   |   15470 |      11248 |      4222 |
| 18       | Ladakh                                   |       0 |          0 |         0 |
| 19       | Lakshadweep                              |       2 |          0 |         2 |
| 20       | Madhya Pradesh                           |   31116 |      22309 |      8807 |
| 21       | Maharashtra                              |   72885 |      46896 |     25989 |
| 22       | Manipur                                  |     248 |        212 |        36 |
| 23       | Meghalaya                                |     237 |        227 |        10 |
| 24       | Mizoram                                  |      78 |         62 |        16 |
| 25       | Nagaland                                 |      44 |         37 |         7 |
| 26       | Odisha                                   |    7505 |       4000 |      3505 |
| 27       | Puducherry                               |     211 |        190 |        21 |
| 28       | Punjab                                   |   30471 |      29219 |      1252 |
| 29       | Rajasthan                                |   36042 |      32877 |      3165 |
| 30       | Sikkim                                   |      48 |         44 |         4 |
| 31       | Tamil Nadu                               |    8703 |       5801 |      2902 |
| 32       | Telangana                                |    9198 |       5123 |      4075 |
| 33       | Tripura                                  |     392 |        366 |        26 |
| 34       | Uttar Pradesh                            |   84850 |      64217 |     20633 |
| 35       | Uttrakhand                               |    5498 |       3985 |      1513 |
| 36       | West Bengal                              |   22896 |      19083 |      3813 |
| TOTAL    | TOTAL                                    |  487416 |     376138 |    111278 |

## CASES PENDING IN DISTRICT CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION

| S. No.      | District Commission                      |   FILED |   DISPOSED |   PENDING |
|-------------|------------------------------------------|---------|------------|-----------|
| 1           | Andaman Nicobar                          |     401 |        364 |        37 |
| 2           | Andhra Pradesh                           |   36967 |      32515 |      4452 |
| 3           | Arunachal Pradesh                        |     505 |        470 |        35 |
| 4           | Assam                                    |    4837 |       3052 |      1785 |
| 5           | Bihar                                    |   31014 |      10388 |     20626 |
| 6           | Chandigarh                               |   23487 |      19572 |      3915 |
| 7           | Chhattisgarh                             |   45807 |      35214 |     10593 |
| 8           | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |     153 |         97 |        56 |
| 9           | Delhi                                    |   52875 |      32127 |     20748 |
| 10          | Goa                                      |    3179 |       2891 |       288 |
| 11          | Gujarat                                  |  232114 |     200645 |     31469 |
| 12          | Haryana                                  |   87464 |      62026 |     25438 |
| 13          | Himachal Pradesh                         |   23690 |      20380 |      3310 |
| 14          | Jammu and Kashmir                        |    1458 |        541 |       917 |
| 15          | Jharkhand                                |   10827 |       5709 |      5118 |
| 16          | Karnataka                                |  183732 |     173656 |     10076 |
| 17          | Kerala                                   |   90650 |      72917 |     17733 |
| 18          | Ladakh                                   |       0 |          0 |         0 |
| 19          | Lakshadweep                              |      35 |         10 |        25 |
| 20          | Madhya Pradesh                           |  139855 |     101589 |     38266 |
| 21          | Maharashtra                              |  262841 |     215320 |     47521 |
| 22          | Manipur                                  |     690 |        615 |        75 |
| 23          | Meghalaya                                |    1211 |       1113 |        98 |
| 24          | Mizoram                                  |     578 |        538 |        40 |
| 25          | Nagaland                                 |     118 |         70 |        48 |
| 26          | Odisha                                   |   33596 |      19573 |     14023 |
| 27          | Pondicherry                              |     738 |        383 |       355 |
| 28          | Punjab                                   |  124625 |     109248 |     15377 |
| 29          | Rajasthan                                |  149701 |     103730 |     45971 |
| 30          | Sikkim                                   |     204 |        172 |        32 |
| 31          | Tamil Nadu                               |   48525 |      39530 |      8995 |
| 32          | Telangana                                |   62702 |      57778 |      4924 |
| 33          | Tripura                                  |    1713 |       1512 |       201 |
| 34          | Uttar Pradesh                            |  188011 |     107598 |     80413 |
| 35          | Uttrakhand                               |   12620 |       9493 |      3127 |
| 36          | West Bengal                              |   64842 |      51367 |     13475 |
| GRAND TOTAL | GRAND TOTAL                              | 1921765 |    1492203 |    429562 |

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