Provide separate toilets for women, drinking water in consumer forums: Delhi High Court to Delhi government

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Delhi government to make facilities such as drinking water, proper internet connectivity and separate toilets for women available to lawyers and litigants in consumer forums located in the capital [Sangam Singh Kochar v. Ministry of Law and Justice and Ors]..A Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad examined a status report filed by the State government and ordered,"The State is granted four months time to provide all facilities to the litigants and lawyers. List this matter after four months.".The Court also directed the State to fill up vacancies of members and presiding officers at the State and District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commissions.The matter will be heard next on January 27, 2023..Petitioner-in-person, advocate Sangam Singh Kochar placed on record some photographs he had clicked which revealed the abysmal conditions of the district consumer forums in Delhi-NCR."There is no drinking water, no toilet facility," Kochar said as he drew attention to the state forum's reply filed in this regard..As per the reply filed by the Delhi government today, all vacant posts of Presidents and members of the State Commission and the district forums were filled up in September 2021.However, four posts were currently vacant due to the superannuation or resignation of members."The process for appointment on these vacant posts and for further vacancies till December 2022 has already started," the reply read in this regard..Pertinently, a chart annexed with the Delhi government's reply showed that many forums such as the District Forum (South-I) and the District Forum (South-II) did not even have drinking water facilities.Further, some forums had no separate toilets for women, while others had only common facilities in the complex for both men and women.District Forums South-I and East did not have toilets for men and women.Many district forums said that they did not have access to virtual hearing facilities due to poor internet connectivity, low bandwidth and lack of funds..The petition filed by Kochar stated that that Right to Information (RTI) replies received from the District Consumer Forum (South-West) revealed that it does not have enough laptops and was facing an acute shortage of staff. The condition was so bad that the post of the female member of the forum had been lying vacant since April 2018, the plea stated.The plea stated that the Supreme Court in its 2017 judgment in State of Uttar Pradesh and Ors v. All UP-Consumer Protection Bar Association had directed state governments to frame and adopt rules under Section 30 of the Consumer Protection Act in accordance with the Model Rules, within three months. However, the Delhi government has failed to adopt these rules, Kochar stated.“That the willful refusal by the Delhi Government/Respondent to adopt the Model Rules is in contempt of the orders of the Hon’ble Apex Court and has resulted and contributed in the working of the District Consumer Forums at Delhi being inefficient, understaffed, un-quorumed and lacking the basic infrastructure and facilities as should be readily available in every Court premises,” the petition argued..The petition thus sought a direction to the government and authorities to fill up the vacancies in district forums in the capital and to provide adequate infrastructure and basic amenities therein..[Read Delhi govt's reply].Delhi High Court issues notice to Law Ministry, Delhi govt in plea highlighting dismal state of consumer forums