Supreme Court Invokes Article 142 to Let High Court Judges Hear Consumer Appeals Where States Haven't Set Up a Commission

Confronted with States finding it financially unviable to constitute full-fledged State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions where consumer-case pendency is very low, a Bench comprising the Chief Justice of India and Justice Joymalya Bagchi invoked Article 142 of the Constitution to direct that, in such low-pendency States and Union Territories, a sitting High Court judge shall function as the deemed Chairperson of the State Commission and adjudicate pending consumer complaints and appeals. The Court further directed that any party aggrieved by such a deemed-Commission order may have its further appeal heard personally by the President of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, given that the order under challenge would have been passed by a sitting High Court judge, and listed States' applications for modification of the directions for further hearing on 26 February 2026.