Pay salary, benefits to consumer body members sans delay: Supreme Court to States

Supreme Court orders immediate payment of salaries to consumer redressal body members, directs Centre to amend rules.

The Supreme Court has directed all State Governments to immediately pay the salary and perquisites of the chairpersons and members of the state and district consumer redressal bodies as per existing rules.

A Bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and N. Kotiswar Singh also directed the Centre to take a call on amending the Consumer Protection (Salary, allowances and conditions of service of President and Members of the State Commission and District Commission) Model Rules, 2020.

“We direct all the State Governments to ensure that without prejudice to various contentions raised in this group of cases, salary and perquisites as per existing state rules shall be immediately paid to the chairpersons/members,” the Bench said.

In case there was no decision from the Government of India on the prospective amendment, the Court said, it would “consider exercising power under Article 142 of the constitution”.

The Supreme Court in the March 5 order said, “In the event compliance is not made by some of the state governments, the parties concerned are free to hand over a note to that effect to the learned amicus curiae so that the Court can pass an appropriate order.”

The Bench was hearing a plea related to the salaries and service conditions of the members of consumer fora.