Consumer disputes pile up: 27,549 cases pending across Kerala

Kottayam, Kerala: A total of 27,549 consumer dispute cases remain pending in the State and District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions in Kerala as of September 2025, covering cases filed since 2000.

The State Commission alone has 4,539 pending cases. Among district commissions, Ernakulam tops the list with 5,010 pending cases, followed by Thrissur with 4,063. Kottayam has the lowest pendency, with only 478 cases awaiting disposal.

Under the 2019 Consumer Protection Act, complaints that do not require product testing or expert analysis must be disposed of within three months of issuing notice to the opposite party. If testing or expert evaluation is necessary, the period may extend up to five months.

However, maintaining this timeline remains difficult due to inadequate staffing. Each district commission has just 11 employees, and the two confidential assistants also handle communication duties.

With the rise of online commerce and new transaction modes, the nature of complaints has changed significantly. Many now require expert examination, forcing the commission to constitute subject-specific expert panels. When experts are unavailable within the department, commissions must independently locate them.

Further complications arise during the execution of orders. Despite having civil and criminal powers, including issuing warrants for attachment or arrest, commissions often struggle because the police show limited interest in carrying out such orders.

These factors collectively contribute to significant delays in resolving consumer disputes across the state.