Chief Justice inaugurates Consumer Court

Kathmandu, March 15: Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut has inaugurated the Consumer Court today. The Court has been established in line with the Clause 44 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2075.     

Addressing a programme organized on the occasion of the International Consumer Rights Day, 2025 and the inauguration of the Consumer Court, the Chief Justice said that the Constitution has already enshrined the consumer rights as the fundamental rights, and this provision has guaranteed the judicial redress of the consumers on quality goods and services.     

Chief Justice Raut pointed out the need to further clarify the jurisdiction of the consumer court as its scope is wider. He also stressed the need for the court to win the trust of consumers by delivering effective justice.     

"The court has a responsibility to win the trust of consumers and establish itself. Therefore, the court needs to show judicial activism and carry out result-oriented works,” the Chief Justice reiterated.     

On the occasion, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari said that the consumer court has been established to promote a clean and competitive market and to ensure the rights of consumers.     

According to him, the government is continuously carrying out monitoring for the welfare of consumers in coordination with the province and local levels. Stating effective market monitoring is conducted during the festivals, he expressed the confidence that and the role of the court would be important for the protection of consumer rights.     

Minister Bhandari said that the establishment of consumer courts was the priority of the government and pledged to take necessary steps to ease the consumer court's judicial process. He also shared on the occasion that the government would bring necessary policies and programmes to address the possible challenges in the implementation of the court.     

Attorney General Ramesh Badal said the establishment of consumer court was an important step towards judicial reforms.     

Mentioning that consumer protection day is a matter of concern for all citizens, he stressed the need for clarity on the types of cases coming to the consumer court.     

"Many types of complaints, including those related to products from which the production date has been deleted and those related to digital consumer rights, will come to the court. The general public needs to be aware of these issues," he said.     

Attorney General Badal also made it clear that the government lawyers of the special court will argue the case on behalf of the government in the consumer court.     

President of the House of Representatives' the Industry, Commerce, Labour and Consumer Welfare Committee, Abdul Khan, said that the consumer rights were in the implementation phase with the establishment of the consumer court.     

Stating that the Committee had directed the government to be more responsible in protecting consumer rights, he pointed out the need for a concrete policy for effective implementation of the newly formed consumer court.     

He said the government has already been directed to set up quality testing laboratories at all border points.     

The Consumer Court has been formed with jurisdiction to take action and dispose of consumer-related cases within Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts.     

Kathmandu District Court Judge Ram Prasad Sharma has been appointed as the chairperson of the consumer court. Similarly, Gehendra Raj Regmi, a Gazetted Second-class Officer of the Judicial Service Group, and Ananda Raj Pokharel, a Gazetted Second-class Officer of the General Administration Group, have been assigned as members. (RSS)