Consumer Protection Act, 1986

To increase the awareness of consumers, there are many consumer organisations and NGOs that have been established.

CONSUMER GUIDANCE SOCIETY OF INDIA (CGSI) was THE FIRST CONSUMER ORGANISATION ESTABLISHED IN INDIA IN 1966.

It was followed by many others such as

(1) Consumer Education And Research Centre (Gujarat)

(2) Bureau Of Indian Standards

(3) Federation Of Consumer Organisation In Tamil Nadu

(4) International Consumer Rights Protection Council

(5) Consumer Voice (New Delhi)

(6) Legal Aid Society (Kolkata)

(7) Akhil Bhartiya Grahak Panchayat

(8) The Consumers Eye India.

(9)United India Consumer's Association.

The objectives of the Central Council is to promote and to protect the rights of the consumers such as:-

1. The right to be protected against the marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and property.
2. The right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services, as the case may be to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices;
3. The right to be assured, wherever possible, access to a variety of goods and services at competitive prices ;
4. The right to be heard and to be assured that consumer's interest will receive due consideration at appropriate forums;
5. The right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or restrictive trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers
6. The right to consumer education.

1. Subject to the other provisions of this Act, the District Forum shall have jurisdiction to entertain complaints where the value of the goods or services and the compensation, if any, claimed does not exceed rupees twenty lakhs.
2. A complaint shall be instituted in a District Forum within the local limits of whose jurisdiction:-

a) – the opposite party or each of the opposite parties, where there are more than one, at the time of the institution of the complaint, actually and voluntarily resides or carries on business or has a branch office or personally works for gain, or

b) – any of the opposite parties, where there are more than one, at the time of the institution of the complaint, actually and voluntarily resides, or carries on business or has a branch office, or personally works for gain, provided that in such case either the permission of the District Forum is given, or the opposite parties who do not reside, or carry on business or have a branch office, or personally work for gain, as the case may be, acquiesce in such institution; or

c) – the cause of action, wholly or in part, arises.

Consumer courts do not have jurisdiction over matters where services or goods were bought for a commercial purpose.[3]

Subject to the other provisions of this Act, the State Commission shall have jurisdiction:-

a) to entertain

i) complaints where the value of the goods or services and compensation, if any, claimed exceeds rupees twenty lakhs but does not exceed rupees one crore (R10 million); and

ii) appeals against the orders of any District Forum within the State; and

b) to call for the records and pass appropriate orders in any consumer dispute

(a) to entertain—

(i) complaints where the value of the goods or services and compensation, if any, claimed exceeds rupees one crore; and

(ii) appeals against the orders of any State mayor; and

(b) to call for the records and pass appropriate orders in any consumer dispute which is pending before or has been decided by any State Commission. However, the Supreme Court of India has held that the jurisdiction of National Commission under Revision Jurisdiction is very limited and can only be exercised when State Commission exceeds its jurisdiction, fails to exercise its jurisdiction or there is material illegality in the order passed by State Commission.[4]