The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the state government and the Karnataka State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission to fill up vacant posts (chairman and members) in district consumer fora across the state within the span of one month.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice B V Nagarathna passed the order on a PIL petition filed by Basavanagouda Patil and five others stating that there are no consumer fora in Ramanagaram, Yadgir and Chikballapur and the post of president in the district consumer forum in Bidar has been lying vacant for more than a year.
They further submitted that while the sanctioned strength is 60, the number of unfilled posts is 27 in these places.
Bangalore Urban II Additional DCDRF and the Kodagu district forums have neither a president nor members while Bangalore Urban IV Additional, Mandya, Raichur, Tumkur, Uttara Kannada and Udupi DCDRF have no members.
The bench passed the order and disposed of the petition.
It may be mentioned here that the PIL was filed before the High Court following a report in Express.