The Long Road to Justice: Telangana's Consumer Forums and a Court's Lingering Patience

Oh, the endless wait for justice, particularly for the everyday grievances that plague us all. It’s a story, sadly, all too familiar in the corridors of power, and one that has recently seen the Telangana High Court — with what seems like rapidly diminishing patience, I must say — issue yet another stern directive to the state government. The task at hand? To finally, finally, get its act together and appoint the much-needed Presidents and members to its District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions and the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. And really, it’s about time.

You see, this isn't some minor administrative hiccup we're talking about; this is a fundamental breakdown in the machinery designed to protect the common consumer. For what feels like an eternity — five long years, to be precise — these vital forums have been either entirely non-functional or operating with critical, debilitating shortages. Imagine buying a faulty product, getting shoddy service, or facing an unfair trade practice, only to discover there’s practically no one to hear your plea. It's frustrating, demoralizing, and frankly, unacceptable.

The latest order, delivered by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Anil Kumar, gives the government a mere four weeks to arrive at a "concrete decision." Four weeks! That’s not a lot, especially when you consider the sheer number of times the court has had to step in on this very issue. Just think: in August 2023, a ten-day deadline was set. Then, in September of the same year, another four weeks were granted. And as recently as March 2024, the court extended what it called a "final opportunity." It begs the question, doesn't it, what exactly constitutes a 'final' opportunity when they keep coming around?

The petitioners, including the vigilant Consumer Guidance Society represented by its general secretary C. Sekhar Reddy, alongside individuals like M. Venkateshwar Rao and D. Purna Chandra Rao, have consistently highlighted this glaring void. They're fighting for every citizen who deserves a fair hearing, and honestly, their persistence is commendable. But why must it come to the courts repeatedly prodding the executive arm to fulfill such basic duties?

The government's usual plea for more time, we’ve learned, centers around the file being with the Chief Minister for approval. A file, presumably, gathering dust while real people’s grievances accumulate. It's a tired excuse, you could say, and one that certainly didn't sit well with the bench, which voiced profound concern over the persistent paralysis. A functioning democracy, after all, hinges on accessible justice, even for the smallest of consumer complaints. When these forums falter, it's the ordinary citizen who pays the price.

Consider this: one District Forum in Hyderabad, a major metropolitan hub, currently limps along with just one member instead of the mandated three. How can such a body possibly achieve a quorum, let alone function effectively? It simply can't. The court, for its part, has made it abundantly clear that should the government fail to comply with this latest, truly final-sounding directive, it will consider appointing an amicus curiae – a 'friend of the court' – to ensure the wheels of justice, however slowly, finally begin to turn. And who knows, maybe this time, just maybe, the message will stick.