The Consumer Protection Bill, 2018

The Consumer Protection Bill, 2018 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 5^th January, 2018 and was passed in the ongoing session of the Parliament on 20^th December, 2018. The Bill comes as a much needed relief to the consumers and the administration. The previous Act had not been dynamically changed since it came into force and the new bill which is to replace the 1986 act is a huge step forward.

The Bill, if passed by the Rajya Sabha, would result in a more robust structure of consumer protection in the country. The new Bill is proposed to make a great deal of changes to the existing laws as well as the judicial and administrative framework of the consumer protection mechanism. The key changes to be brought in by the Bill are iterated below.