Consumer Awareness, Rights and the Consumer Movement
This domain tests who a consumer is, the statutory rights, the three-tier redressal machinery and the standards and campaigns that support consumers.
Consumer and rights
The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, in force from 20 July 2020, replaced the 1986 Act. A consumer buys goods or hires services for consideration, and the definition covers online and e-commerce purchases. Rights include safety, information, choice, being heard, seeking redressal and consumer education, along with the right to basic needs.
Redressal machinery
- District Commission: claims up to ₹50 lakh.
- State Commission: ₹50 lakh to ₹2 crore.
- National Commission: above ₹2 crore. These limits are those revised in 2021 under the 2019 Act. A complaint may be filed within two years of the cause of action, and no fee is charged for claims up to ₹5 lakh. The Act also created the Central Consumer Protection Authority, introduced product liability and covers misleading advertisements and unfair contracts.
Standards and campaigns
ISI (BIS), AGMARK, FSSAI, Hallmark for gold and Ecomark; National Consumer Day is 24 December, World Consumer Rights Day 15 March; the Jago Grahak Jago campaign and the national helpline 1915 support awareness.
Worked example
A student buys a ₹40,000 phone online; it fails within a month and the seller refuses a replacement. Remedy: a written complaint to the seller, then the District Commission, since ₹40,000 is within its limit. Rights invoked: information (advertised features), quality and redressal. Documents needed: invoice, warranty card and chat records. Reasoning: the claim value decides the forum, and the 2019 Act allows filing where the consumer resides and covers e-commerce sellers.
Traps that cost marks
Believing consumer courts charge heavy fees; mixing up the three monetary limits; thinking the 1986 Act still governs; forgetting that services as well as goods are covered.