LAHORE - It seems that exploitation of consumers will continue as around 700 cases are still pending before the Consumer Courts of the provincial capital.

Sources have told the Nation that most of the cases pending before courts were filed at least one-year ago. Around 150 to 200 applications are filed before the court in one month period while the ratio of disposal is around 5 to 10 cases.

According to sources, there are many factors behind pending cases including incomplete service and slackness of the respondents’ counsels.

Though the consumer courts have been shifted from a rented building to a new official building, they still lack proper funding and facilities to improve its delivery of justice system. A single presiding officer takes up applications from four big cities of the province including Lahore, Kasur, Nankana Sahib and Sheikhupura.

Last year, a citizen Nadeem had filed a suit against a local electronic trader for selling him a poor quality refrigerator. He told The Nation that the shop owner did not even consider his complaint despite the fact that he was bound to replace or repair the refrigerator within the warranty period. “It is almost one year now that my application is pending before the consumer court while the tribunal is bound to decide my case within 6 months period.

“This delay is causing serious problems for me and tantamount to denying justice,” said the litigant.

The consumer courts could not even issue a warrant in his case till yet, he added. Another petitioner Khalil had filed an application against a multinational company for a faulty watch. He said his application was not decided for the last one and half year.

This pendency of cases clearly speaks volumes of the courts performance and dispensation of justice to the masses. There are total 11 courts across Punjab and judicial officers at every court hear cases of more than three to four districts.

According to an official, the lawyers’ strikes, lethargic attitude of the courts’ staffers, lack of funds and inadequate staff are the top reasons, which are badly affecting the performance of these courts in Punjab. Other issues are related to low salaries, non-payment of judicial and utility allowances to the court employees. The situation is same all over the province and the government is still unable to provide any governmental building to consumer courts.

A lack of planning on the part of the government and lack of interest on the part of the judicial authorities are leading the consumers to suffer more at the hands of local as well as multinational companies. Also the court staff, working for last ten years, are still getting Rs15,000 to 17,000 per month.

Sick of such meager salary, when they approach judicial authorities they are told that they are the employees of the provincial government. But when they contact the provincial government about their salaries and payment of judicial and utility allowances they become "employees of the courts”.

Nobody is ready to own them so that their problems could be addressed which subsequently would have a great impact over the working of the courts and timely justice to the masses. The authorities concerned must seriously consider these factors behind the increasing pendency of cases and pay proper attention towards them, so that they could be addressed in larger interest of nation.

Everyone does shopping but majority of the citizens do not know about their rights and therefore they do not intend towards consumer council or consumer courts to resolve their issues.

The consumers are also unaware of the 1985 United Nations guidelines on consumer protection. According to that, a consumer has the right to basic needs, including the right to safety, right to be informed, right to choose, right of being heard, right to redress, right to consumer education and right to a healthy environment.

Even those consumers who know their rights are still oblivious to the existence of a consumer court.