The B.S. Anangpuria Institute of Law recently organized a visit for its students to the Office of District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission, Gurugram, on 23rdFebruary 2023. Consumer Court is a special purpose court that deals with consumer complaints, disputes, and grievances, and has been established to protect the rights of consumers in India. The core aim behind the student visit to the Consumer Court was to enable hands-on legal education through live experiences at the Consumer Court and also to acquaint the students with the filing procedure followed at the court.
It was an extremely insightful experience for the students as they learned about how consumers can file a case against a seller or service provider if they feel cheated or exploited or have suffered loss or damage due to: 1. Defective product 2. Deficiency in service 3. Unfair or restrictive trade practices 4. Harmful goods or services 5. Excess price charged.
The students learned that the key idea of having a separate forum for consumer disputes is to ensure that such disputes are promptly resolved and remain less expensive.The students also gained knowledge about the three tiers of Consumer Courts,namely,the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum (DCDRF), State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (SCDRC), National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC), and their Pecuniary Jurisdiction, Territorial Jurisdiction, Appellate Jurisdiction. Students also learned how Voxya provides an online platform to resolve consumer complaints.
All in all, the visit was a highly enriching and valuable learning experience for the students where they not just witnessed the actual working of the Consumer Court but also attained insights into the various aspects of the system.
