Govt launches dedicated portal for consumer protection authority, digital courts

livemint.com:

Mint was the first to report about the launch of the portal. CCPA, which reports to Ministry of Consumer Affairs, also launched e-court facility for State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC) in Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi. The e-court will facilitate easy e-filing of complaints by consumers for the speedy and hassle-free resolution of their complaints.

Mint first reported about the government’s plan to digitize all consumer courts on 28 January. “The website will enable swift and hassle-free filing of complaints by the consumers on class action basis and allow them to choose nature of case, description of the complaint, upload relevant documents/videos and track the progress of their complaint online," a government statement said. Further, the website will serve as a unified platform to access advisories, guidelines and orders passed by CCPA which support the rights of consumers, it said.

The dedicated website comes nearly four years after the launch of the CCPA in July 2020. The CCPA was established under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, to regulate matters relating to consumer rights violations, unfair trade practices, and false advertisements. “The creation of a dedicated portal for complaint registration is undoubtedly going to benefit consumers.

Increased consumer awareness may also bring to light smaller violations previously ignored by people," said Manish K Shubhay, partner at The Precept-Law Offices. The CCPA’s actions have helped curb misleading advertisements to some extent, including those against well-known entities; yet, its guidelines continue to be violated. India’s consumer protection regime has been strengthened in recent times.