Consumer Protection Law — Quick Reference
Pecuniary jurisdiction
| Commission | Value range |
|---|
|---|---|
| District | Up to ₹1 crore |
|---|---|
| State | ₹1 crore – ₹2 crore |
| National (NCDRC) | Above ₹2 crore |
Appeal chain: District → State → NCDRC → Supreme Court (questions of law only)
Defect vs. Deficiency
| Applies to | Standard |
|---|
|---|---|---|
| Defect | Goods | Merchantable quality / seller's representation |
|---|---|---|
| Deficiency | Services | Promised/standard level of service |
Time limits
| Stage | Limit |
|---|
|---|---|
| File complaint | 2 years from cause of action (condonable for sufficient cause) |
|---|---|
| Admission/rejection | 21 days of filing |
| Opposite party response | 30 days |
| Mediation opt-out window | 5 working days |
| Final order (target) | 3–5 months |
| E-commerce: acknowledge complaint | 48 hours |
| E-commerce: resolve complaint | 1 month |
Who counts as a "consumer"
✅ Buys goods/hires services for personal use
✅ Beneficiary of goods/services bought by someone else
❌ Buys for resale or commercial manufacturing purpose
Unfair trade practices (Section 2(47)) — quick list
•False representation (quality, grade, standard, model)
•False facts about a competitor's product
•Bait/free-gift advertisements
•Hoarding to raise prices
•Spurious (fake) goods
•Pyramid/MLM schemes
Product liability — who's liable
| Party | Liable when |
|---|
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Defective design, inadequate instructions/warnings |
|---|---|
| Service provider | Incorrect repair/maintenance introduced the defect |
| Seller | Knowingly sold defective product, or exercised substantial design control |
Reliefs available
Repair • Replace • Refund • Compensation for loss/injury • Removal of service deficiency • Punitive damages (only for conscious disregard of consumer rights, not ordinary negligence) • Discontinuation of unfair trade practice • Costs to complainant
CCPA at a glance
•Regulator, not adjudicator — acts on systemic issues, not individual disputes
•Suo motu power — no complainant required to act
•Powers: investigate, recall products, cancel licences, penalties, safety notices
•Covers misleading ads (incl. undisclosed influencer promotions) and dark patterns (false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm-shaming, forced renewal)
(needs verification — recheck against current source: CCPA guideline specifics and penalty amounts are periodically updated.)
Related statutes — quick distinction
| Statute | Covers | Relationship to CPA 2019 |
|---|
|---|---|---|
| Sale of Goods Act, 1930 | Contractual sale relationship | CPA 2019 is an additional, faster remedy route, not a replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Competition Act, 2002 | Market-level anti-competitive conduct | CPA 2019 handles individual-transaction harm from similar conduct |
| IT Act, 2000 | E-commerce intermediary liability generally | CPA 2019's E-commerce Rules are a more specific consumer-facing layer |
Filing checklist
1.Written notice to seller/service provider first
2.File with the Commission matching pecuniary jurisdiction
3.Include: complainant + opposite party details, facts, relief sought, supporting documents
4.File within 2 years of cause of action
5.Online: e-DAAKHIL portal (edaakhil.nic.in)