(a) whether the Consumer Forums at a number of places are wrongly taking up complaints of non-payment of company deposits;
(b) if so, whether it is not stepping into the jurisdiction of the Company Law Board, which is a legitimate and proper agency for dealing with grievances of company deposits; and
(c) if so, whether the Government will issue instructions to the Consumer Forums not to dabble with disputes relating to company deposits?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI V. SREENIVASA PRASAD)
(a) to (c): The provisions of the Consumer Protection Act,
1986 are in addition to and not in derogation of the provisions
of any other law for the time being in force. The Consumer
Forums set up under the provisions of the Consumer Protection
Act, 1986 are empowered to adjudicate cases including the cases
relating to deficiency in financial services as per the
provisions of the said Act. It is for the aggrieved party to
take recourse to make an appeal in the appropriate forums in
case one is not satisfied with the order. Therefore, the
Government will not be in a position to intervene in the
judicial process of the Consumer Forums.