HYDERABAD: A bench of the Telangana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin, on Monday directed the state government to take a decision within four weeks on establishing District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions (DCDRCs) in the 23 newly formed districts.
Observing that the issue requires urgent attention, the bench adjourned the matter to December 22.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by law student Akula Sampath Kumar, who sought directions to both the state and Union governments to set up consumer commissions in the remaining districts as mandated under Section 28 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The petitioner also urged that the proposed commissions be adequately staffed, funded and equipped to handle consumer grievances efficiently.
During the previous hearing, Government Pleader Neeli Arjun Kumar, appearing for the secretary of Legal Affairs, Legislative Affairs and Justice Law Department, had sought time to file a counter affidavit. However, the bench noted on Monday that no such affidavit had been filed. The state’s counsel submitted that the matter was “under active consideration of the government”.
Pointing to the administrative restructuring undertaken after Telangana’s formation in 2014, the bench noted that while the state originally had 10 districts, 21 new districts were created in October 2016, followed by two more in 2019, taking the total to 33. Despite the reorganisation, consumer commissions have not been established in the newly created districts.
“The matter requires urgent attention on the part of the government. It is therefore expected that a decision in that regard be taken within a period of four weeks,” the court said.
The bench directed the state to file an affidavit detailing compliance by December 22.
