The Supreme Court held that the consumer complaints filed before coming into effect of the Consumer Protection Act 2019 should continue in the fora in which they were filed as per the pecuniary jurisdiction under the previous Consumer Protection Act of 1986.
A bench comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah pronounced this verdict during the hearings of the case Neena Aneja and others vs Jai Prakash Associates Ltd.
The verdict came setting aside the directions of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission according to which the previously instituted cases under 1986 Act were to be transferred to the respective fora as per the new pecuniary jurisdiction under the 2019 Act.
The Consumer Protection Act 2019 came into effect with its notification on July 20, 2020 repealing the 1986 Act. The Supreme Court ordered that all the proceedings instituted before July 20, 2020 shall continue to be heard as per 1986 Act and will not be transferred to the 2019 Act.