Supreme Court urges overhaul of sluggish consumer dispute tribunals

The Supreme Court, sitting in New Delhi, expressed concern over the chronic backlog in the three-tier consumer dispute system and warned that these quasi-judicial commissions should not become de-facto retirement posts for ex-judges and bureaucrats. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana cited a report of consumers waiting four years for a hearing, questioning the value of the commissions given their salaries and perks.

The justices noted persistent vacancies and inadequate infrastructure across the forums. They directed the president of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission to provide a detailed report on case pendency, composition, average disposal rates and the need for additional members within two weeks, and requested similar data from state and district commissions. Furthermore, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati was asked to explore creating four regional benches of the NCDRC to reduce the burden on Delhi-based litigants.