Consumer affairs ministry is pushing new digital systems to address long delays and weak enforcement in consumer courts, particularly in eastern states where cases often take years to resolve and compliance with court orders remains uneven.
At a regional workshop held in Patna on Tuesday, officials from Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha discussed measures to reduce case backlogs, improve execution of consumer court orders and respond to new risks emerging from online shopping and digital services.
The initiative shows growing pressure on the government to fix a consumer redressal system that many complainants say is slow, fragmented and difficult to navigate, especially outside major cities.
The Department of Consumer Affairs said it is relying on digital platforms such as the National Consumer Helpline 2.0 and E-Jagriti, also known as CONFONET 2.0, to speed up case handling and reduce dependence on paper-based processes.
E-Jagriti is designed as a single online system for consumer commissions, bringing together online case filing, video hearings, case tracking and performance dashboards. Officials say it could reduce procedural delays, but its success will depend on whether courts consistently use the system and whether consumers in rural areas can access it.
Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, said digital platforms could help bridge gaps in access to justice, particularly in districts where travel to consumer courts is costly and time-consuming. She urged state and district commissions to make greater use of video hearings and automated case tools.
Consumer advocates, however, have long pointed out that technology alone does not resolve core problems such as staff shortages, frequent adjournments and weak enforcement of orders. In many cases, companies ignore consumer court rulings with little consequence, forcing complainants into further legal action.
The workshop also addressed so-called dark patterns in digital markets, referring to online design practices that mislead users into making unintended purchases or sharing personal data. Regulators worldwide are grappling with how to detect and penalise such practices, and authorities say consumer courts need to be better prepared to handle these disputes.
Officials also discussed broader issues such as price stability and agricultural procurement, reflecting the ministry’s wider mandate beyond consumer disputes. Khare referred to the need to strengthen domestic production of pulses to reduce dependence on imports, particularly as household consumption patterns change.
Bihar’s chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit, said the state would act on the workshop’s recommendations and described digital governance as essential for future-ready administration.
The event included technical sessions on reducing adjournments, improving compliance with consumer court orders and dealing with misleading practices in online commerce. Parallel discussions covered legal metrology reforms and market interventions for price stabilisation.
The consumer affairs ministry said it would continue to support eastern states in expanding digital adoption and institutional capacity.
