SC expresses concern over pendency of cases at NCDRC, bats for regional, circuit benches

The Supreme Court expressed concern over the backlog of cases at the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC) and advocated for the establishment of regional and circuit benches to expedite the process. The court also demanded performance audits of state and district consumer commissions, cautioning against these bodies becoming retirement homes for retired judicial officers.

The panel, consisting of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, urged the Centre to provide a status report on pending cases, including total complaints filed, average disposal rates, and the estimated time for resolving pending cases. The court emphasized that consumers should not be required to travel to Delhi; rather, the NCDRC should come to them.

The court requested the NCDRC chairman to submit the report within two weeks. The NCDRC's backlog of cases, which primarily originate from 2018-19, has caused delays, with some cases taking nearly a year for the next listing date. The court suggested increasing the commission's maximum strength to address the issue. The court also inquired about pendency in state consumer commissions, vacancies, and the oldest pending case, as well as evaluations of district consumer forums from the past three years.

Last month, the court proposed that states with fewer than 1,000 pending consumer disputes could disband some district forums and transfer cases to regular courts with high court approval.