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Given below are the details and functions of all the consumer protection authorities:
Central Consumer Protection Authority
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) (( Chapter III, Consumer Protection Act, 2019. )) aims to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers collectively. The CCPA is empowered to:
- Conduct investigations into violation of consumer rights and start prosecutions on complaints received.
- Order recall of unsafe goods and services.
- Order discontinuation of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements.
- Impose penalties on manufacturers, endorsers and publishers of misleading advertisements.1
It is headquartered in New Delhi. The CCPA can begin to inquire into the mentioned issues either when they receive complaints, or on their own.
CCPA can also issue Safety Notices. For example, it recently issued notices regarding the sale of non-standard pressure cookers and helmets on e-commerce sites that lacked the ISI mark.2
Consumer Protection Councils
The Central Consumer Protection Council (( Chapter II, Consumer Protection Act, 2019. )) has advisory functions, giving suggestions about the promotion and protection of consumer rights. Similarly, state-level units called State Consumer Protection Councils and District Consumer Protection Councils are also formed which perform similar advisory functions. Some of the other bodies that also perform similar roles (such as spreading awareness) include, Consumer Education and Research Centre (Gujarat) , Bureau of Indian Standards, Federation of Consumer Organization in Tamil Nadu, Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, etc.
- Central Consumer Protection Authority established to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers, PIB, accessed at https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1642422. [↩]
- Press Release: Bureau of Indian Standards seizes 1032 pressure cookers and 936 helmets for violation of Quality Control Orders, accessed at https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1805333®=3&lang=1#:~:text=Previously%2C%20CCPA%20had%20also%20issued,to%20be%20held%20’defective‘. [↩]
