Nearly 6 lakh cases pending in consumer commissions, over 860 posts vacant: Centre

As of July 29, the Central government reported that nearly 6 lakh cases remain pending in India's three-tier consumer disputes redressal system. This backlog includes over 1.27 lakh cases before state consumer commissions and 4.4 lakh before district commissions. Despite this massive volume of unresolved cases, the system is understaffed, with more than 860 key positions vacant at the state and district levels.

Responding to a question, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs B L Verma informed the Lok Sabha that 5,93,109 cases are currently pending across all levels of consumer forums. The majority of these - 4,48,687 - are before district commissions, while the national commission handles 16,915 cases and state commissions oversee 1,27,507.

The report highlights that staff shortages are a significant factor behind the backlog. At the state level, 18 president posts and 74 member posts are currently unfilled, while at the district level, 234 president posts and 538 member posts remain vacant. These vacancies could be contributing to the delay in resolving cases.