On July 20th, 2020, the new Consumer Protection Act, 2019 came into force in India, replacing the previous enactment of 1986.

Some of the highlights are regarding e-filing of consumer complaint. No fees is required if  the claim is within Rupees 5 lakhs.

• A consumer can conduct her own case via video conferencing. Engaging a lawyer is optional.
• A concept of product liability has been introduced by the new law, thereby allowing aggrieved consumers to claim significant compensation as a relief due to the negligence of the manufacturer or service provider.
• A group of aggrieved consumers can join hands and file a class action suit (like in the US) to reduce costs and improve chances of redressal or settlement.
• Producers of spurious goods may be punished with imprisonment.
• Misleading advertisements may be punished with imprisonment. Celebrities endorsing a product may not be punished but can be barred from endorsing if the advertisement is misleading.
• E-commerce is now tightly regulated, and e-commerce companies are now expected to disclose all relevant product information, including country of origin, and respond to the grievance of consumers withing prescribed timelines.
• Settlement of consumer disputes through mediation i.e. with the help of a neutral intermediary outside the consumer court is encouraged under the new law, thus saving time and resources of disputing parties which would otherwise have been spent on dispute resolution through a formal mechanism.
• Consumers now have several protected rights, including the right to safety, information, choice, redressal as well as right to be heard, to be educated as a consumer, and to a mediated settlement.

Corporates entities that cater to consumers will have to exercise greater care and caution in terms of quality, quantity, and product safety. The boards of corporates that manufacture or trade consumer goods must create a Consumer Affairs Committee to periodically review consumer complaints and address the need to proactively offer mediated settlements by holding online mediation and save themselves the expenses of defending a matter in Consumer Courts, in some remote part of India besides incurring the collateral damage to reputation.

Aishwarya Says:

I have always been against Glorifying Over Work and therefore, in the year 2021, I have decided to launch this campaign “Balancing Life”and talk about this wrong practice, that we have been following since last few years. I will be talking to and interviewing around 1 lakh people in the coming 2021 and publish their interview regarding their opinion on glamourising Over Work.

If you are interested in participating in the same, do let me know.

Do follow me on Facebook, Twitter  Youtube and Instagram.

The copyright of this Article belongs exclusively to Ms. Aishwarya Sandeep. Reproduction of the same, without permission will amount to Copyright Infringement. Appropriate Legal Action under the Indian Laws will be taken.

If you would also like to contribute to my website, then do share your articles or poems at adv.aishwaryasandeep@gmail.com

We also have a Facebook Group Restarter Moms for Mothers or Women who would like to rejoin their careers post a career break or women who are enterpreneurs.

We are also running a series Inspirational Women from January 2021 to March 31,2021, featuring around 1000 stories about Indian Women, who changed the world. #choosetochallenge