Read the following situation and answer the questions that follow:
Sunita enrolled in a one-year diploma course at a private institute and paid the full fee of Rs 45,000 upfront. After six months, she found the quality of instruction very poor and wished to leave. The institute refused to refund any part of her fee, claiming that she had agreed to the terms at the time of admission.
(i) Which consumer right is at the centre of this dispute? (1 mark)
(ii) To which tier of the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission should Sunita take her case, and why? (1 mark)
(iii) Based on similar cases, what ruling might the Commission give, and what broader order might it pass to protect other students? (2 marks)
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:26 · grounding rag
Model Answer
(i) The Right to Choose is at the centre of this dispute. Sunita paid fees for the full course but wishes to leave midway — the institute cannot force her to continue a service she no longer wishes to receive.
(ii) Sunita should approach the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, because her claim (Rs 45,000) is well below the Rs 1 crore limit handled at the district level under COPRA.
(iii) The Commission may direct the institute to refund the fee for the remaining six months, as Sunita has the right to choose whether to continue a service. It may also pass a broader order restraining all educational institutions in the state from collecting fees for the entire course duration in advance, to protect other students from similar exploitation.
Source: Consumer Rights, Chapter 5 — "When Choice is Denied" and "Where Should Consumers Go to Get Justice?"
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Explanation
- (i) Always name the right precisely — "Right to Choose" — and link it briefly to the facts.
- (ii) Jurisdiction is determined by the claim amount. Rs 45,000 < Rs 1 crore → District Commission. Examiners expect you to state the threshold.
- (iii) This 2-mark part needs two distinct points: the individual remedy (refund) AND the broader/systemic order (restraint on advance fee collection). The Abirami case in the textbook is the direct parallel — use it.