The Supreme Court exercising its power under Article 142 of the Constitution of India has reduced the qualification to be eligible for appointment as president and member of the state consumer commission and district forums. Know more about this development in this article. This is an important topic in the IAS exam polity & governance segment.
SC Lowers Criterion for Consumer Courts in India
The objective of this verdict is to attract younger talents to preside over the consumer courts and provide better protection of the interests of consumers, especially in the digital era.
- A Bench of Justices also introduced written exams and viva voce to evaluate the candidates’ performance in a judgment.
- The written exam would consist of two papers covering topics such as current events, the Constitution, consumer laws, drafting, and so on. There would also be a viva voce.
- The apex court ordered the central government and the state governments concerned to come up with an amendment in the Consumer Protection (Qualification for appointment, method of recruitment, procedure of appointment, term of office, resignation and removal of President and Members of State Commission and District Commission) Rules, 2020.
- To provide for 10 years’ experience to become eligible for appointment as President and member of the state commission and district forums instead of 20 years and 15 years respectively.
- The government has proposed several amendments to the Consumer Protection (Qualification for appointment, method of recruitment, procedure of appointment, term of office, resignation, and removal of President and Members of State Commission and District Commission) Rules, 2020.
- The court stated that its decision would fill the void until the amendments to the 2020 Rules were made.
Also read: Consumer Protection Act, 2019
What are Consumer Disputes Redressal Agencies?
| S.No | Three-tier structure of consumer forums or courts | Composition |
| 1 | District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in the District: District Commissions shall have jurisdiction to entertain complaints where the value of the goods or services paid as consideration does not exceed 50 lakh rupees. | Composition: President and two or more members
Qualification: For becoming president one should be qualified to be a district judge. |
| 2 | State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission at the state level: State Commissions shall have jurisdiction to entertain complaints where the value of the goods or services paid as consideration exceeds 50 lakh rupees but does not exceed 2 crore rupees. | Composition: President and four or more members
Qualification: For becoming president, the person should or have been the judge of a high court. |
| 3 | The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission at the national level: National Commission shall have jurisdiction to entertain complaints where the value of the goods or services paid as consideration exceeds 2 crore rupees. | Composition: President and four or more members
Qualification: For becoming president, the person should or have been a judge of the Supreme Court. |
Changes made by SC:
- Reduced mandatory professional experience for appointment (at state consumer commission and district forums)
- President (From the current 20 years to 10 years)
- Member (from the current 15 years to 10 years)
- Introduced written exams and viva voce to check candidates’ performance
- Consumer Protection Rules, 2020 govern the appointment of the President and members to State and District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions
SC Lowers Criterion for Consumer Courts:- Download PDF Here
| Related Links | |||
| National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) | Article 142 | ||
| Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) | Grievance Redressal in India | ||
| Alternate Dispute Resolution | UPSC 2023 Calendar | ||
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