SHC wants consumer protection council in each district in 20 days

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the provincial agriculture secretary to establish a consumer protection council in every district of the province within 20 days. The order came on a petition of the Amity International against the non-implementation of the consumer protection law.

Petitioner Imran Shahzad informed the SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar that 29 consumer courts have been established in the province, but the salaries of the presiding officers appointed in Karachi have not been paid by the Sindh government.

The petitioner requested the court to issue directives for the implementation of the Sindh Consumer Protection Act 2014. He said that though the law was notified on March 18, 2015, the government had failed to set up consumer protection councils to fulfil the command of the law.

Besides, he added, it was also the responsibility of the government to notify and establish one or more separate consumer courts in each district to exercise jurisdiction and powers under the Act. The petitioner said that besides setting up consumer protection councils, the government was to establish a laboratory under the law for carrying out analysis or tests of goods with the view to determine if they had any defects.

The finance secretary, the agriculture secretary and the focal person of the Accountant General Office appeared in court to respond to a query regarding the non-payment of salaries to the presiding officers of consumer courts.

The agriculture secretary claimed that the budget for the payment of salaries had been transferred to the law department. The finance secretary and an SHC inspection team member also admitted that the budget had been transferred.

The member inspection team-II also highlighted the procedure that since all the district & sessions judges had been declared as drawing and disbursing officers, the district judges had to submit the FO-I form to the Accountant General Office for their salaries to be released.

With regard to the establishment of consumer protection councils, the agriculture secretary said they will make all the best possible efforts, adding that they have already moved a summary to the chief minister for its approval, after receiving which a council will be set up in every district of the province.

The high court directed the agriculture secretary to establish a consumer protection council in each district of Sindh within 20 days as well as submit a compliance report.