A consumer's complaint is dismissed by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. Can the consumer pursue the matter further? Explain the options available.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:27 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Yes, the consumer can pursue the matter further. Under COPRA, a three-tier quasi-judicial machinery exists at the district, state, and national levels.
- If the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission dismisses the case, the consumer can appeal to the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
- If the State Commission also does not provide relief, the consumer can further appeal to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in New Delhi.
For example, in Reji Mathew's case, after the State Commission dismissed the complaint, his father appealed to the National Commission, which held the hospital responsible and directed it to pay compensation.
Source: Chapter 5, Where Should Consumers Go to Get Justice?
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Explanation
- The examiner expects students to name all three tiers clearly: District → State → National.
- Quoting the Reji Mathew example from the textbook strengthens the answer and shows application — always use textbook examples in COPRA-related questions.
- Key term to use: "appeal" — a consumer appeals to the higher commission, not re-files.
- The marks split roughly: 1 mark for yes + basic right, 1 mark for state-level appeal, 1 mark for national-level appeal (or example).