Our Work

The Chair on Consumer Law and Practice has undertaken several projects related to consumer law. These range from providing advice, recommendations, research, analysis and assessment to offering trainings and workshops. Some of these projects are sponsored by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India. Others involve domestic and international private and statutory bodies like the Underwriters Laboratories, Singapore; Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany; World Health Organization, India-Office; Indian Direct Selling Association, New Delhi, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), US, etc.

The Chair on Consumer Law and Practice organises various training programmes, workshops, conferences and seminars for students, professionals, academics and government officials. It promotes student engagement in the field of consumer protection by helping students file PILs to seek redress for relevant grievances, organising skit competitions to spread awareness about consumer related issues, and conducting field visits. These field visits offer students the opportunity to assess issues pertaining to consumer education, collect data, engage in meetings and discussions on consumer protection, and provide insights on pathways ahead.

The Chair provides advice and consultation to the Central Government as well as State Governments on issues related to policy formulation and consumer protection. Private individuals may also consult the Chair to deepen their knowledge of consumer law or to seek advice on specific grievances.

One of the Chair’s key priorities is to generate awareness about mediation as an essential alternate mode of dispute resolution. Towards this end, the Chair established the Online Consumer Mediation Centre (OCMC) under the aegis of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India in 2016. In 2018-19, the Chair undertook an Online Dispute Resolution project titled “Effective Implementation of Online Consumer Dispute Resolution through Mediation”, sponsored by the Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India. The Chair continues to extend physical infrastructure for mediation.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Consumer Law & Practice (PGDCLP) at the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, provides in-depth knowledge and understanding of consumer laws and their application for consumers, businesses, professionals, and service providers. This distance-learning course was launched under the direction of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India (sanction letter dated 21-06-2010). The Ministry encourages members of State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions to undergo this course to enhance their knowledge.