AMENDMENT IN CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT

---

A Bill to amend the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 mainly aimed at facilitating quicker disposal of consumer complaints, enhancing the capability of redressal agencies, strengthening them with more powers, streamlining the procedures and widening the scope of the Act to make it more functional and effective, was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on April 26, 2001. The Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2002 has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha on March 11, 2002.

Some of the important amendments contained in the Bill are as follows:

Creation of benches of the National Commission and State Commissions and holding of circuit benches;

Prescribing time-frame for admission of complaint, issue of notices and dispoal of complaint;

Exclusion of services availed for commercial purposes;

Recovery of compensation amount ordered by the redressal agency through certificate case as arrears of land revenue;

Provision for issue of interim orders by the redressal agencies;

Establishment of consumer protection council at district level.

One of the proposals contained in the Amendment Bill as introduced in the Rajya Sabha was that the opposite party would be entitled to engage a legal practitioner only if the complainant engaged a legal practitioner or was himself a legal practitioner or had no objection to the opposite party engaging a legal practitioner.

Representations were received from sections of lawyers against such a provision in the Bill which was omitted through official amendment at the stage of consideration in the Rajya Sabha.

This information was given in the Rajya Sabha Yesterday by the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Ashok Pradhan in a written reply.