FROM CAVEAT EMPTOR TO CAVEAT VENDITOR: A PARADIGM SHIFT

Abstract “Let the buyer beware” was the slogan about three decades ago which has been changed to “Let the seller beware” with the induction of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 in the Indian Legal System. This has paved a new jurisprudence of the consumer laws in India where the consumer enjoys every comfort of goods or services. The Act has enshrined to the consumer certain basic enforceable rights and the three level redressal mechanisms, the District Forum, State Commission and the National Commission to strengthen the rights. “The Consumers‟ Expectations in 2016” is the cry of the people of India as the present Act has suffered enough drawbacks during the past three decades of its enactment. The paradigm shift that is presented by this Act is only a misnomer for a poor villager or for the rural masses. Should the provisions of The Consumer Protection Act be made use of only by those in the cities and towns or should those be the tools of social transformation in the hands of even the illiterate? Multiplication of the consumer redressal agencies in all levels is the need of the hour. The authors have made a sincere effort to evaluate the pros and cons of The Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Finally, certain practical suggestions have been given to improve the existing provisions of the Act.