Legal Protection to Consumers
There are a number of legal provisions of various acts provided by legal framework, in India:
1. The Consumer Protection Act, 1986
It has now been replaced by Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (only this is in CBSE syllabus now).
The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 seeks to protect and promote the interests of consumers against defective goods, deficient services, unfair trade practices, etc. by setting up of three-tier machinery i.e. District Forums, State Commissions and National Commission and the formation of consumer protection councils at different levels.
2. The Contract Act, 1872
This Act lays down the conditions in which the promises made by parties to a contract will be binding on each other and also specifies the remedies available to parties in case of breach of contract.
3. The Sale of Goods Act, 1930
This Act provides some protection and reliefs to the buyers of the goods in case the goods purchased do not comply with express or implied conditions or warranties.
4. The Essential Commodities Act, 1955
This Act aims at controlling production, supply and distribution of essential commodities, checking their prices and ensuring equal distribution. It also provides for action against anti-social activities of profiteers, hoarders and black-marketers.
5. The Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937
It is concerned with grading of agricultural commodities and livestock products. It prescribes the conditions and procedure for grading, marking and packing of agricultural produce. The act provides the quality mark ‘AGMARK’, an acronym for Agricultural Marketing.
6. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954
This Act aims to check adulteration of food articles and ensure their purity so as to maintain public health.
7. The Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976
This Act provides protection to consumers against the malpractice of under-weight or under-measure in case of goods sold or distributed by weight, measure or number.
8. The Trademarks Act, 1999
This Act provides protection to the consumers by preventing the use of fraudulent marks on products.
9. The Competition Act, 2002
This Act provides protection to the consumers in case of practices adopted by business a firm which stops competition in the market.
10. The Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986
The Bureau of Indian Standards has been set up under the Act for formulation of quality standards for goods and their certification. Manufacturers are permitted to use the ISI mark on their products only after certification regarding the quality. A grievance cell has also been set up where consumers can make a complaint about the quality of ISI marked products.
Consumer Protection Act, 2019 – Consumer Rights