3 SCDRC posts still vacant in state

Gandhinagar: Posts of three members of the Gujarat State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC) are yet to be filled, and the posts of presidents of 11 District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions are also vacant. Information provided in Parliament by the Union govt also said that while more than 18,000 consumer disputes cases were filed in 2025 across the state, only over 12,000 were disposed of.
LS MP Tangeela Uday Srinivas sought information on the sanctioned strength, number of posts filled, and vacancies in all state consumer disputes redressal commissions and district consumer disputes redressal commissions. The MP also sought information on whether any time-bound targets or norms were prescribed for the disposal of consumer cases.In his written reply, B L Verma, Union MOS, consumer affairs, said that as of Dec 31, 2025, the post of the president of the state commission was filled, but there were three vacant posts of members in the state commission. Among districts, posts of 11 district commission presidents were vacant, and posts of 28 members in various district consumer redressal commissions were vacant. There are 38 district consumer redressal commissions in the state.According to data provided in the LS on Feb 4, 18,280 cases were filed in consumer courts of Gujarat in 2025, of which 12,553 were disposed of by courts. Cases disposed of during the year also included those filed in previous years, the minister said in the reply.Section 38(7) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, states that every complaint ought to be disposed of as expeditiously as possible, and an endeavour should be made to decide the complaint within three months from the date of receipt of notice by the opposite party where the complaint does not require analysis or testing of commodities, and within five months if it requires analysis or testing of commodities.