The Madras High Court on Friday directed the State government to take immediate and expeditious steps to fill all vacancies in the posts of president and member of district-level consumer disputes redressal commissions.
Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy also directed the government to immediately issue the notification for the appointment of the president of the State consumer disputes redressal commission.
The interim orders were passed on a public interest litigation petition filed by businessman Sunil Shete. His counsel Ajay Francis Inigo Loyola told the court that most district commissions were suffering from a lack of quorum.
After hearing him, the judges wrote: "It is understandable that because of the [COVID-19] lockdown and the change in government in the past few months, appropriate measures may not have been taken. However, it is necessary, fit and proper that immediate steps are taken to fill all vacancies at the district commission level and also to appoint members of the State commission."
Further, pointing out that the selection of the president of the State commission had already been made by the appropriate committee in accordance with the law, the Bench said only a government notification in that regard was awaited.
"Immediate steps should be taken since the nomination is unanimous regarding the appointment of the president," the Bench said and called for a status report within three weeks on the filling of all vacancies.
