Mounting case backlog, vacancies cripple consumer courts across India: Report

Indiarsquos consumer dispute redressal system is grappling with severe structural challenges with mounting case pendency and widespread vacancies significantly undermining its effectiveness according to the Consumer Justice Report 2026 released on WednesdayThe report published by the India Justice Report was unveiled by former Supreme Court judge Justice Retd Sanjay Kishan Kaul who raised concerns over the weakening institutional capacity of consumer commissionsPendency vacancies erode consumer confidenceThe report reveals that more than half of all president and member posts in State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions SCDRCs were vacant in 2025 Simultaneously over onethird of cases in these commissions have been pending for more than three yearsThis is in stark contrast to the mandate under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 which envisages the timely disposal of casesldquoLegislation loses meaning if the institutions tasked with implementing it are rendered nonfunctionalrdquo Kaul said adding that such gaps erode public trust in grievance redressal systemsAndhra Pradesh tops rankings Maharashtra at 11The report ranks states based on 11 indicators including infrastructure human resources budget utilisation and workloadAmong large and midsized states Andhra Pradesh secured the top position followed by Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Maharashtra ranked 11th while Telangana was placed at the bottomIn the small states category Meghalaya ranked first followed by SikkimHowever the rankings also reveal stark disparities While Andhra Pradesh reported only 49 per cent of cases pending beyond three years Keralamdashranked 12thmdashhad nearly 80 per cent of such longpending casesInsurance housing banking lead complaintsAn analysis of nearly 29 million cases filed between 2010 and 2024 highlights that consumer grievances are concentrated in a few key sectorsInsurance disputes account for the highest share of complaintsHousing and banking follow closelyAt the national level 44 per cent of cases relate to housing issuesCases at the national commission level take an average of 448 days and seven hearings for disposal indicating systemic delaysMetro and capital city commissions under strainA closer examination of district commissions in 51 capital cities including Mumbai Delhi Kolkata Chennai and Bengaluru reveals persistent shortcomingsOnly commissions in Kolkata met the mandatory requirement of having at least one woman member In contrast several commissions in Bengaluru witnessed a sharp decline in case clearance ratesmdashfrom 96 per cent in 2022 to 50 per cent in 2024In some cities commissions functioned without a president for extended periods affecting their efficiencySome gains in budget leadership stabilityDespite the challenges the report notes modest improvements in certain areas10 out of 20 state commissions had a president consistently between 2021 and 202516 of 19 commissions met minimum gender representation normsBudget allocation increased by 52 per cent reaching Rs 2019 crore over four yearsThese trends indicate incremental progress in strengthening institutional frameworksInfrastructure and staffing gaps persistSignificant gaps remain in the basic structure of consumer redressalOnly 685 district commissions exist for 775 districtsAround 20 per cent staff vacancies persist in state commissionsLimited use of alternative dispute resolution with only 3216 cases referred to Lok AdalatsWomenrsquos representation also remains limited with only three state commissions having had a woman president in the past five yearsExperts highlight structural weaknessesMaja Daruwala Chief Editor India Justice Report emphasised that institutional weaknesses undermine even welldesigned lawsShe said ldquoThe 2019 consumer protection law is designed to respond to the complexities of the changing marketplace in India and globally While there are improvements and innovations compared to the previous statute even the most progressive legislation relies on robust institutional mechanisms Data accessed through RTI show the gaps and neglect in filling leadership vacancies in commissions which undermines the spirit of the consumer protection mandate and leads to ineffective grievance redressal We find that in consumer commissions gender diversity is restricted to mere compliance pendency persists and mediation is ornamental eventually weakening the promise of institutional resolution and redress for consumersrdquoSystem lsquoworking at subsistence levelrsquoFormer Supreme Court judge Justice Retd Madan B Lokur described the situation in stark termsldquoThe Consumer Protection Act is a beneficent legislation at the centre of which is the ordinary consumer The report clearly shows that the system is working at a subsistence level with vacancies as high as 40 per cent in State Commissions One in three cases is pending for over three years It is time the authorities realise that consumption and economic growth are severely affected by the lack of faith in consumer redressal mechanisms Forty years after the Consumer Protection Act was enacted the situation is terribly grim It raises the question are these commissions really grievance redressal bodiesrdquoCall for urgent reformThe findings underline the urgent need for systemic reforms to address vacancies strengthen infrastructure and improve efficiencyWithout these measures the report warns the promise of accessible and timely consumer justice will remain unfulfilled for millions across the country