Making Consumer King Again - A Study Of The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 - Part I

Introduction

Consumers play a vital role in the development of a nation. It was Mahatma Gandhi who once said, "A consumer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are on him. He is not an interruption to our work; he is the purpose of it. We are not doing a favour to a consumer by giving him an opportunity. He is doing us a favour by giving us opportunity to serve him."

Given the scourge of widespread consumer exploitation, it is no surprise that consumer protection has gained immense importance worldwide. In the age of globalisation, consumer protection guidelines and legislation are necessary at the international and national level to ensure the safety of consumers. It was with this in mind that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) through a resolution adopted guidelines for consumer protection on April 9 1985.