Consumer Court is the special purpose court, in India, that deals with cases regarding consumer disputes and grievances. These are judiciary hearings set up by the government to protect the consumer rights. Its main function is to maintain the fair practices by the sellers towards consumers. Consumers can file a case against a seller if they are harassed or exploited by sellers. The court will only give a verdict in favour of the consumers/customers if they have proof of exploitation, i.e., bills or other documents. If a consumer does not have the proper documents required for filing a case then it would be very difficult for the consumer to win or even file a case.
Types
- National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC): A national level court works for the whole country and deals with amount more than ₹10 million (US$160,000). The National Commission is the Apex body of Consumer Courts, it is also the highest Appellate Court in the hierarchy.
- State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC): A state level court works at the state level with cases valuing less than ₹10 million (US$160,000). The State Commission also has Appellate jurisdiction over the District Forum.
- District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (DCDRF): A district level court works at the district level with cases valuing up to ₹2 million (US$31,000).
Consumer movement
The consumer movement as a social force originated with the necessity of protecting and promoting the interests of consumers against unethical and unfair trade practices. Rampant food shortages, hoarding, black marketing, adulteration of food and edible oil gave birth to the consumer movement in an organized form in the 1960s.
The movement succeeded in bringing pressure. A major step was taken in 1986 by the Indian government with the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 (COPRA).
Objectives
The main function of consumer court is to provide some extra privilege to the consumers and to maintain fair practice by the seller or the service provider towards the consumer. Submitting complaint is very simple and a consumer has no need to hire any lawyer. Approaching a consumer court is very simple and extremely cheap as you can represent yourself without having to hire a lawyer and not required to pay any court fee but just a nominal fee.
See also
- Small claims court
References
