Take Immediate Steps For Filling Vacancies, Providing Infra At Consumer Disputes Redressal Fora Across State: High Court Tells Delhi Govt

The Delhi High Court has called for a report in respect of filling up of vacancies and infrastructure requirements across all District Fora and the State Consumer Redressal Forum in the city.

Justice Pratibha M Singh directed the Principal Secretary-cum-Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs of the Delhi Government to submit the said report within six weeks.

The Court also directed the said officer to coordinate with Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal (Retd.), President of the State Consumer Redressal Forum, in order to ascertain the vacancies across the District Fora in Delhi and further requirements of the said fora and the State Forum.

The Court was dealing with a petition highlighting a grievance that the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum (West), Janakpuri, Delhi had not disposed of the consumer complaint, which was filed way back in 2007.

The Petitioner father had lost his son aged 13 years of age and had filed a consumer complaint against the Employees State Insurance Corporation and the Employees State Insurance Hospital. It was the petitioner's case that there was medical negligence, which led to the demise of his young son.

The Court had then called for a report on the aspect of vacancies in respect of staff and members at the said Consumer Forum and also on the urgent requirements for its effective functioning. Perusing the said report, the Court said:

"It is, therefore, clear that there is a huge backlog of cases in the Consumer Forum, which could be due to the non-filling of requisite vacancies as also lack of adequate infrastructure and other facilities."

Accordingly, the Court called for a further report from the President of State Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum of the Delhi Government for placing the following information about the State forum as well as all the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Fora:

- List of cases/complaints pending for final hearing.

- Date of institution of the said complaints.

- Date when evidence was concluded in the said complaints.

- Any infrastructural requirements in the said forum.

- Status of vacancies of presiding officers, including President and members and other staff members.

The report is directed be placed on record within a period of four weeks.

"The GNCTD shall look into the infrastructural requirements and vacancies at the Consumer Forum and shall take immediate steps for filling up the vacancies and for provision of the basic infrastructure as requested, such as laptops, computers, toilets facilities, water facilities, refrigerator, etc. as has been requisitioned by the President of the Consumer Forum in this report," the Court added.

The matter will now be heard on March 4 for the purposes of receiving of the two reports.

Case Title: MOHAN PRASAD (SINCE DECEASED) THROUGH HIS LRS SH. YOGESH & ORS. v. EMPLOYEES STATE INSURANCE CORPORATION & ANR.

Citation: 2022 LiveLaw (Del) 84

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