Consumer Club ordered to pack off
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 17 2015 :
State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (State Commi-ssion) has ordered that the Consumer Club, Manipur, in the absence of the test laid down by the Apex Court and without fulfilling the conditions stipulated in the Consumer Protection Regulation, 2014, has no authority to file any complaint before the consumer fora.
Dismissing an appeal made by the Consumer Club, Manipur, a bench of State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (State Commission) comprising Justice Ashok Potshangbam, president and Th Sudhir Singh, member issued a judgement that there is no need for any individual or firm or company to respond to any notice that may be issued by the Consumer Club, Manipur or their ilks.
The bench observed that Consumer Club, Manipur, which has not been accorded recognition by the competent authority at any point of time, has signed complaint petition, memo of appeal with verification therein, masquerading itself as the aggrieved consumer in a large number of cases without ever fulfilling the conditions stipulated by law "We have also given our anxious thought as to how a consumer club, as an extra Constitutional authority, issued notices to the shop keepers in a consumer case," it observed.
No club or social organisation can usurp the power of the legally established Forum or Court.
This is to be stopped, otherwise it may ultimately lead to loss of confidence in the legally established Forum or Court.