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Unit 2: The Consumer Protection Act

Reliefs available to Consumers (Sec.14) Notes

If, after the proceeding conducted under Sec.13, the District Forum is satisfied that the goods
complained against suffer from any of the defects specified in the complaint or that any of the

allegations contained in the complaint about the services are proved, it shall issue an order to the
opposite party directing him to do one or more of the following things, namely:
(a) to remove the defect pointed out by the appropriate laboratory from the goods in
question;
(b) to replace the goods with new goods of similar description which shall be free from
defects;
(c) to return to the complainant the price, or as the case may be, the charges paid by the
complainant;
(d) to pay such amount as may be awarded by it as compensation to the consumer for any loss
or injury suffered by the consumer due to the negligence of the opposite party;
(e) to remove the defects in goods or deficiencies in the services in question;

(f) to discontinue the unfair trade practice or the restricted trade practice or not to repeat
them;
(g) not to offer the hazardous goods for sale;

(h) to withdraw the hazardous goods from being offered for sale;
(ha) to cease manufacture of hazardous goods and to desist from offering services which are
hazardous in nature;
(hb) to pay such sum as may be determined by it if it is of the opinion that loss or injury has been
suffered by a large number of consumers who are not identifi able conveniently.
(hc) to issue corrective advertisement to neutralize the effect of misleading advertisement at the
cost of the opposite party responsible for issuing such misleading advertisement.

(i) to provide for adequate costs to parties.
In (a) above, the District Forum shall have the power to grant punitive damages, as it deems fi t.

Time-frame for Decisions of Consumer Courts

The complaint should be decided by the Redressal Forum, as far as possible, within a period
of 3 months from the date of the notice received by the opposite party where complaint does
not require analysis or testing of the commodities and within 5 months if it requires analysis or
testing of commodities.

Appeal to State Commission

Any person aggrieved by an order made by the District Forum may prefer and appeal against such
order to the State Commission within a period of 30 days from the date of the order. However,
the State Commission may entertain an appeal after the expiry of the said period of 30 days if it

is satisfied that there was sufficient cause for not filing it within that period.
Appeal to National Commission
Any person aggrieved by an order made by the State Commission may prefer an appeal
against such order to the National Commission within a period of 30 days from the date of the
order [Sec.19].

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