Slow disposal of cases by the state and district consumer forums has drawn flak from the national commission.

In a recent letter, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission asked the state body to find ways to dispose of cases quickly at the district level.

“Several district consumer forums are not following regulations strictly and are not disposing of 75 to 100 cases per month. To reduce pendency and evolve time-bound disposal of cases, the consumer forums should find out ways and means for the same,” stated the letter. The district forums should be role models in redressing the grievances of consumers “swiftly and efficiently”, the letter added.

More than 750 cases, including original petitions and appeals against decisions of district forums, are pending with the state commission. These include cases of medical negligence and complaints against telephone service providers, insurance companies, banks and real estate firms. At Calcutta District Forum I and II, about 2,000 such cases are pending.

According to officials, the state commission on an average disposes of 25 to 30 cases per month. The figure for the district forums is around 50. In comparison, the state commissions of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh dispose of more than 50 cases every month. A case is supposed to be disposed of within 90 days but they often drag on for years.

Snehalata Das is a case in point. Having filed a complaint in 2005 against a clinic alleging negligence in treatment, she is still waiting for a verdict.

The rules require the parties in a case to submit brief notes on their arguments before the hearing for fast disposal of cases. “The regulations are not followed in the district forums, including the two in Calcutta,” said a source.

At the state commission, appellants have to wait for months for copies of the judgment. “There are instances of appellants not receiving copies of judgments three months after they are pronounced,” said a source. Without a certified copy, an appellant cannot appeal for execution of the judgment.

“There is shortage of manpower in the state and district forums. Things are likely to improve from March,” said a state commission official.

To speed up the procedure, the forums are being computerised and joined in a network. Under the new system, proceedings will be updated the same day so that the certified copies of verdicts can be handed over within a couple of days of the case being disposed of.