Consumer courts

After a long and arduous journey, consumers in Sindh can breathe a sigh of relief. Consumer courts in 23 districts of Sindh as well as the six districts of Karachi have been established as per the Sindh Consumer Protection Act of 2014. Any consumer who has a complaint against any product or service can approach these consumer courts for the redressal of their grievances. You do not require a lawyer or expenses to file a complaint with these courts, and most cases are resolved within months, as against years with civil courts. Since their establishment, two cases have already been decided in favour of consumers. So there definitely is light at the end of the tunnel.

As consumers, we all have stories of how we have been duped here and there, every now and then. Now we finally have an opportunity to defend our rights. It is therefore in the interest of the consumers themselves to utilize this citizen friendly dispute resolution mechanism, as only a proactive society can achieve their rights. Jago Sarif Jago.

Dr Raza Gardezi

Karachi