New
Delhi:
All vacancies in the state consumer dispute redressal panels should be filled
up within eight weeks, the Supreme Court told the states today as it slammed
the authorities for delaying the process.
The
top court also made some tough remarks on the vacancies in the national
consumer tribunal. “Don't dash the hopes of people,” the central government was
told.
“You
raise (their) hopes that they will get (the) redressal but then you don't
fulfil those. If you are asking (the) states to fill up vacancies then you also
need to do that. You need to have requisite number of people to deal with the
cases,” the top court told the central government.
Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Jharkhand were among
the states that were slammed over the lackadaisical approach. “The way states
are acting is unacceptable. You do not want citizens to get redressal,” the
court said.
The
state government in Bihar was told, “Some 'mahurat' (auspicious moment)' has to
be set for you to take steps to fill up the vacancies?”
Selection
committees have to be set up by the states within four weeks, and all existing
and potential vacancies have to be advertised within two weeks. “If states
don't notify rules within two weeks, model rule by centre will automatically
apply,” the court has said.
The
court had taken suo motu cognizance of pending vacancies in district and state
redressal commissions across India. A two-judge bench of Justices SK Kaul and
Hemant Gupta had called the situation “surprising”.
The
court had directed the central government to file a status report about the
vacancies and infrastructure of these tribunals.
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