Resurrection of the Indian Consumer Law

Indian legislature has introduced the new Consumer Protection Act, 2019 repealing the pre-globalization era Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The new law brings structural and procedural changes to the existing law and an attempt has been made to extinguish the shortcomings of the 1986 Act. Till now the loopholes existing in the 1986 law were checked through judicial activism, being a stop-gap arrangement. While briefing the media about the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Shri Ram Vilas Paswan said that the new Act will empower consumers and help them in protecting their rights through its various notified Rules and provisions like Consumer Protection Councils, Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions, Mediation, Product Liability and punishment for manufacture or sale of products containing adulterant/spurious goods.