Reconstitution of Consum
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 12: Division Bench of High Court comprising Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur today took serious note of casual approach of the Government in re-constitution of Consumer Commission/ District Consumer Forums and granted one last opportunity of one week to the respondents to finalize the issue and report compliance.
Moreover, DB made it clear that in case of further non-compliance Secretary to Government, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department and Secretary to Government, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Department shall appear in person on next date of hearing.
When the PIL came-up for hearing, the Division Bench observed, “on consideration of the matter, in terms of order dated 13th November, 2019, the Chief Secretaries of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh were asked to apprise the court about the steps taken for providing the State Consumer Commissions and District Consumer Forums, for both the Union Territories, so that the pending complaints/ appeals are considered for decision”.
“The requisite information had to be submitted within one week. Subsequent thereto, the matter came up for consideration on 20th November, 2019, when the respondents had sought and were granted further two weeks time to finalize the issue”, the DB said, adding “today when the matter was taken up for consideration, both the counsels appearing for the respondents sought further time to report compliance”.
The DB further observed, “ordinarily, the court has no difficulty in granting time to the respondents, but the respondents need to realize the importance of the issue involved in the matter and take extraordinary steps required for regulation of the cases which were pending before the State Consumer Commission and District Consumer Forums involving directly the public interest”.
“The delay in finalizing the issue of constituting the Consumer Protection Commissions/ Forums to the consumers whose complaints and appeals are pending and consigned to records because of the abolition of the erstwhile Consumer Commissions/ Forums, is required to be addressed in right earnest”, the DB said, adding “in view of the importance of the matter qua the non-availability of the Consumer Commissions/ District Consumer Forums to the litigants, the court had only granted weeks time to the respondents to report the action taken vide order dated 13.11.2019”.
“The delay in the matter is only adding to the sufferings of the litigants”, the DB said while granting last opportunity for filing requisite notification.
er Commission, Forums
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