File report by Sep 7 on vacant consumer fora posts:HC to govt

: The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to file a report by September 7 on steps taken to fill vacancies in District consumer dispute redressal fora for post of members and President in 13 districts under its jurisdiction.
Justices R Sudhakar and V M Velumani in their interim order, asked the Government to file the current status in the fora at Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruchi and Karur, on Sept7th.
K Sudhakar,a PIL litigant, had sought a direction to fill the posts of president and members in consumer fora in Thanjavur district.

However the Bench suo motu expanded the scope of the PIL plea and sought to know the status in all the 13 districts.
The State Government Pleader informed the court that the vacancies had been filled.
But the petitioner contested the claim and stated that the crucial posts are still lying vacant in Thanjavur, leading to hardship for consumers.
He said fora were indispensable for redressing consumers' grievances. The purpose of establishing such fora would be defeated if they remained only on paper, without president and members, the petitioner said.