Consumer Protection Act, 2019

The new Consumer Protection Act was passed by Parliament in 2019. It came into force in July 2020 and replaced the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Consumer Protection Act, 2019 is a law to protect the interests of the consumers. This Act provides safety to consumers regarding defective products, dissatisfactory services, and unfair trade practices. The basic aim of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 is to save the rights of the consumers by establishing authorities for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumers’ disputes.

Consumer Protection is not a new concept. It was embedded in our ancient texts too. In India, around 2500 years ago, during the period of Kautilya, there were guidelines for the government regarding how trade should be regulated and the interest of the consumers be protected. The Consumer Protection movement in modern India began with the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 which built in many clauses for the protection of the consumer for both purchase of goods and availing of services. The Act is since sought to be amended by the government through the Consumer Protection Bill 2018 (taken up in the winter session).  

The government has also introduced various standards and measurements for checking of goods and services. Ex: ISI Mark, Hallmark for jewellery, Silkmark for Silk products and the recent Real Estate Regulatory Authority – a landmark regulatory measure for safeguarding the consumers from malpractices in the real estate sector. Other measures such as DBT, Ujjawala etc. are also intended at protecting the common man from becoming the victim of frauds as a beneficiary of the government schemes. Consumer redressal has also been built into the Consumer Protection Act. There are various fora like the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Authority for grievance redressal.