The Consumer Protection Act,2019 comes into force from 20 July, with its salient features including the establishment of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers.
Features of Consumer Protection Act, 2019
- Consumer Protection Councils
- Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)
- Simplified Dispute Resolution Process
- Mediation
- Product Liability
- Rules on e-commerce and direct selling
- Penalty for adulteration of products/spurious goods
CCPA is empowered to
- Conduct investigations into violations of consumer rights and institute complaints/ prosecution
- Order recall of unsafe goods and services
- Order discontinuance of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements
- Impose penalties on manufacturers/ endorsers/ publishers of misleading advertisements
Simplified Dispute Resolution Process
- Deemed admissibility after 21 days of filing
- Empowerment of Consumer Commissions to enforce their orders
- State Commission & District Commission can now review their own orders
- Appeals only on question of law after second stage
- Ease of approaching Consumer Commissions
Mediation
- An Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism
- Reference to mediation by Consumer Commissions wherever scope for early settlement exists and parties agree for it
- Mediation Cells to be attached to Consumer Commissions
- No appeal against settlement through mediation
Source: Live Mint & prsindia
