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SC notice to Centre, states on petition for disclosure of identity of shop owners
The petition filed by lawyer and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay had sought the directions in the interest of protecting the rights of consumers under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019
The Supreme Court on Monday sought the response of the central government and states on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a direction to all shop owners to disclose their identities, details of registration and number of employees at the entrance to facilitate consumers in filing complaints under the Consumer Protection Act.
The petition filed by lawyer and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay had sought the directions in the interest of protecting the rights of consumers under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the Centre and states after hearing submissions from advocate Eklavya Dwivedi appearing for Upadhyay.
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The bench initially asked Dwivedi to approach the high court. However, he pointed out that consumers across the country will stand benefited in availing their legal remedies. At present, he pointed out that due to absence of this information, it was proving to be a hindrance for consumers to approach forums against the dealers, traders, sellers and shop owners of various products.
The court has directed the matter to be heard after four weeks.
“Every consumer has a right to know about not only the quality, quantity, potency, purity standards, manufacturing and expiry date, BIS/FSSAI certification, but also the details of distributors, dealers, sellers and shop owners, so as to seek redressal against unfair and restrictive trade practices and unscrupulous exploitation in the spirit of provisions of the 2019 Act”, Upadhyay’s petition said.
The petition requested the court to ensure that information disclosing details of registration, including name, address, contact, number of employees, is displayed at the shop’s entrance in bold letters that is visible to any ordinary person.
