Delhi Government told the High Court that consumer forum officials will remain in office until new appointments are made. The Court insisted that no commission should be left headless.
New Delhi: Today, On May 28, The Delhi Government recently informed the Delhi High Court that the tenures of the presidents, presiding officers, and members of both the State and District Consumer Commissions will be extended until new appointments are made.
This announcement came during a hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by former Delhi MLA Sardar RP Singh.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela heard the matter and recorded the government counsel’s statement regarding the extension.
Initially, the government lawyer requested the court to pass an order for the extension, but the Bench firmly denied this request.
The Bench remarked that the Supreme Court has already given clear instructions that the current officials must continue in their roles until new ones are appointed. It emphasized that the government must act on this direction without delay or excuses.
The judges stated,
“We are not going to give any directions. It’s not our job. It’s your job, and you’re failing to do it. The Supreme Court has told you something, and you do it. We will take a statement that you are going to implement the judgement in letter and spirit.”
Further emphasizing the need to keep the commissions functional, the Bench asserted,
“We are not going to have any headless institution in this state, at least. Not in Delhi.”
The court gave the government lawyer time to seek instructions from the authorities. Once the instructions were received, the lawyer informed the court that the government would follow the Supreme Court’s judgment.
The PIL was filed due to the concern that several key positions in the Consumer Commissions were about to become vacant.
Petitioner Sardar RP Singh told the court that around 19 officials, including presidents and members of various commissions, are scheduled to retire soon. If no action is taken, the functioning of these forums could come to a complete stop.
He pointed out that Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal, the current President of the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, is retiring on May 29. Highlighting the urgency of the situation, the petitioner said,
“She has been given a relieving order. The forums cannot function without a President. We have 7,000 cases pending.”
The plea also referred to a recent Supreme Court judgment which clearly stated that the current officers should be allowed to continue in their roles even after retirement, until new appointments are made under the new rules.
The plea noted,
“That in the event the aforesaid directions [to extend the tenure of officers] are not passed, the same will render the State Commission as well as the District Commissions vacant and working of the Consumer Fora functioning in Delhi shall come to a complete standstill and will become defunct.”
The petitioner also informed the court that he had submitted a formal request to the Delhi Government on May 23, 2025, seeking the extension of tenures. However, he had not received any response at the time of filing the petition.
He said,
“That the Petitioner has made representation dated 23.05.2025 with the Respondents herein in this regard because Petitioner is in the hope for the extension of Presidents, Presiding Officers and Members in the Delhi State as well District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission. It is submitted that no reply to the representation have been received as on date of filing of this Petition.”
After recording the assurance from the government counsel, the Delhi High Court disposed of the PIL.
Senior Advocates Amarjit Singh Chandhiok and Abhijat, along with advocates Dr Amit George, Aman Singh Bakhshi, Divjot Singh Bhatia, Shreesh Chadha, and Arushi Singh, represented the petitioner in the case.
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