About CPL

About Consumer protection law

To protect the rights and guard the welfare of consumers, the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was enacted and brought into force. Since the dynamics of the market were changing due to globalization; there was a need to enact a new law that was more efficient to protect the consumer’s rights in every way possible. This induced legislature to make a new law which was known as Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (COPRA). Consumer Protection Act 2019 (COPRA) replaced the Consumer Protection Act 1986 and got approval from the Honourable President on 9th August in the year 2019. This act emphasizes bolstering the rights of the consumer. The COPRA 2019 incorporates VIII chapters and 107 sections. It extends to Jammu and Kashmir. The main object of the Act is to protect the interest of the consumers and to work for the welfare of the consumers.

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 with an aim to minimize the workload of the Courts, has introduced Mediation. Chapter V of COPRA 2019 deals with mediation. After the first hearing of any case, at any later stage, the District Commission, if it thinks that the case can be settled between both the parties then it can ask for the consent of both the parties, and if the parties agree then the matter referred to Mediation. Then the parties have to follow the procedure enshrined under chapter V of this Act. The State Government establishes a consumer mediation cell related to each District Commission and State Commission. The consumer mediation cell related to the National Commission is established by the Central Government. The mediation shall be held in the consumer mediation cell related to the District Commission or the State Commission or the National Commission, as the case may be. Within seven days of the receipt of the settlement report, the District Commission or the State Commission, or the National Commission, pass suitable order as it may deem fit to dispose of the matter accordingly. Apart from Mediation, the latest act also talks about Product Liability and the role of Consumer Protection Councils as advisory bodies that render advice on the promotion and protection of consumer rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The Act also talks about E-commerce wherein the Central Government has the authority to make rules to prevent unfair trade practices in the e-commerce industry. There also exists the guidelines given by the United Nations with an aim to protect the interest of the Consumers at large. This shows that the protection is available to the consumers at all level, the drawback being the lack of knowledge about the existence of such law and the proper forum that needs to be approached.

It is, therefore, necessary for the people in general to be aware about the new rules and regulations that are framed to provide protection to the Consumers. Keeping this in mind, the course on consumer laws will help in pursuing in depth knowledge about the consumer laws that exists as also the strategy and ways to practically apply it in all situation of disputes.