For many aggrieved consumers across India, the promise of “speedy justice” enshrined in law remains distant. Conceived as accessible and inexpensive forums for ordinary citizens, consumer courts are increasingly becoming arenas for protracted litigation.
This reality plays out in the life of 60-year-old Ashok (name changed), whose consumer dispute has been going on for almost a decade. At 4 a.m., a small-time paint factory owner locks his house in Panchkula, Chandigarh, and makes the long journey to Delhi. He has already spent seven grueling hours in transit by the time he reaches the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) in the heart of the capital around 11 am.
Mr Ashok’s case concerns an insurance claim arising from a fire that destroyed his small paint factory in 2015. When the bench adjourns for the day, his case remains unheard. The Master of the Court announces another date — six months later.
“This has been happening for the last three years. For one reason or another, my case never comes up. I don’t know what to do anymore,” says Mr. Ashok.
Mr. Ashok is not alone in experiencing this ordeal.
Twenty-eight-year-old Raju (name changed) from a small town in Chhattisgarh dreamed of starting a paper cup manufacturing unit five years ago. He paid the full amount online for the paper cup machine and took out a loan from a local bank to finance the purchase. The machine never arrived.
Mr. Raju has since been embroiled in protracted litigation — first in the District Consumer Court and later in the State Forum. His case has now gone to the National Consumer Court after the opposite party decided to challenge the order passed in his favor at the lower forums.
Each hearing requires him to make a 24-hour train journey to the state capital — with no assurance that his case will actually be heard.
“The last date was November 24. My case did not take place because the court was exhausted with cases at the top of the list,” he recalls.
“It has happened three or four times already. Each time I get another date six months later. Now I have become a loan defaulter,” says Mr. Raju. “I’ve been wronged, so I’ll keep fighting – even if it takes another 10 years.”
Challenges to be your own “lawyer” in consumer court
Growing backlog
Stories like Mr. Ashok’s and Mr. Raju’s reflect the systemic crisis unfolding across consumer courts across the country.
A reply by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in Parliament shows that as on 30 January 2024, a total of 5.43 lakh consumer complaints were pending with district, state and national consumer commissions.
In 2024, boards received 1.73 million new cases but disposed of only 1.58 million, resulting in a net increase of nearly 14,900 cases. The trend continued in 2025. By this July, 78,031 new complaints were filed and 65,537 cases were resolved.
This backlog persists despite clear statutory time limits under the Consumer Protection Act 2019. Section 38(7) of the Act mandates that complaints be decided within three months if no testing or analysis is required, and within five months if such review is necessary.
The Act also expressly discourages delays by stating that adjournments should not ordinarily be granted unless sufficient cause is shown and the reasons are recorded in writing.
Structural barriers
Advocate Anand Prakash attributes the delay to deep-seated structural problems.
“Many consumer commissions are burdened with thousands of backlogs and lack sufficient staff, modern facilities or effective digital case management systems,” he says. “Judicial and extrajudicial vacancies, limited courtrooms and logistical constraints continue to impede timely hearings.”
The personnel crisis intensified over time. As of August 19, 2025, 18 chairman positions and 62 deputy positions were unfilled in the state commissions for the resolution of consumer disputes. At the district level, 218 positions of chairman and 518 positions of deputies remained vacant.
This is a significant increase from February 2, 2024, when 13 chairman posts and 47 deputy posts at the national level and 131 chairman posts and 340 deputy posts at the district level were vacant.
Another challenge, says Mr Prakash, lies in the nature of the disputes themselves. “Many members of the commission have legal degrees but lack expertise in specialist areas such as medical negligence, marine insurance, foreign trade or complex financial products.”
This often requires expert opinions, laboratory reports or technical clarifications, leading to repeated postponements. “Without ongoing training or specialized benches, complex cases inevitably move much more slowly than the law requires,” he says.
Delays are also caused by procedural hurdles – failure to serve notices, late filing of affidavits and requests for time to present additional evidence. “At times, the opposite parties deliberately seek adjournments to harass and tire the complainants,” alleged Mr. Prakash.
Published – 21 Dec 2025 20:18 IST
