CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has expressed concern over delay in appointing members to vacant positions in both state and district consumer commissions, warning that such delays hamper justice delivery and erode public trust.
The post of president of state commission has remained vacant for the past two years and a member Dillip Kumar Mohapatra has been officiating as president while the situation is similar in many district forums.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice MS Raman called for a structured and time-bound approach to recruitment for ensuring uninterrupted and efficient consumer grievance redressal across the state. Citing the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the bench underscored the responsibility of the state under Section 46 to appoint the necessary staff for proper functioning of the state and district commissions.
The court directed the state government to fill up all vacant sanctioned posts in the commissions within six months. Hearing a PIL, filed by one Sonali Swain, a resident of Cuttack, the bench observed that the matter raised serious public concerns related to the seamless operation of the consumer bodies.
The bench noted that five sanctioned posts of stenographers had remained vacant due to retirements, resignations, or expiration of tenure, with no steps taken to fill them.
“The consumers, who have approached the fora, are not expected to wait for redressing of their grievances for all times to come,” the bench said in the order uploaded on Thursday, while warning that justice delayed due to administrative lapses was not acceptable.
The government informed the court that steps are being taken for engaging retired personnel as stenographers and junior assistants in the bodies through outsourcing. The bench, however, ruled that outsourcing cannot replace regular appointments to sanctioned posts.