In response to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition calling for the creation of a district consumer complaints redressal panel in the Palghar district, the Bombay High Court requested the Maharashtra government’s response on Wednesday.
The case was listed for hearing in June after a bench consisting of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor issued a notice in the matter.
The Court noted that even after ten years had elapsed since the district was established, there still didn’t seem to be any explanation for why a district consumer forum hadn’t been established in Palghar.
“As informed, the district was established in 2014, and 10 years have elapsed. However, there is a clear mandate under Section 28 of the Consumer Protection Act; the (district consumer protection) Commission has not been established. We do not see any reason why, despite the legislative mandate, the district commission has not been established. We require the state to file an affidavit in two weeks as to why the mandate under the Act has not been followed,” the court’s order stated.
August 1, 2014, was the date of the formation of the Palghar district, as stated by the petitioner in court.
A consumer commission had previously been assigned a room in a collectorate office. The petitioner noted that the state government has not yet published a notification designating this area as a forum for consumer complaints.
As a result, the petitioner has now asked the High Court to get involved in the case.
The next hearing is scheduled for June 19.
