HYDERABAD: The true success of consumer protection lies not merely in a consumer winning a dispute, but in securing a fair remedy without having to spend years pursuing it, said acting Chief Justice of Telangana high court P Sam Koshy, stressing that mediation could help bring the law closer to this ideal.Urging stakeholders to adopt the approach of “first mediate instead of litigate,” he called for efforts to promote mediation as an effective tool to resolve the consumer disputes.“This should not be understood as a retreat from adjudication, or the court procedure, but as an effort to reserve adjudication for disputes that require authoritative determination,” he said.He was speaking at an awareness programme ‘Mediation in Practical and Functional Perspective in Consumer Disputes’, organised by the Telangana State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and its bar association in the city on Saturday.Meanwhile, Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya of the Telangana high court has called for effective use of mediation to resolve consumer disputes quickly and at low cost.She said the Consumer Protection Act and the Mediation Act, 2023, should work as a coordinated system to reduce delays in consumer cases.“Disputes arising from flight delays, cab services and purchases of goods could be resolved faster if consumers are encouraged to opt for mediation at the complaint stage itself,” she said, suggesting that consumers using e-grievance portals or helplines should be asked whether they are willing to try mediation.She said consumers should be provided an environment in which they can freely explain their problems in their own words before a mediator.She suggested organising legal literacy camps and awareness programmes on Dec 24, National Consumer Day, to explain the benefits of mediation to the public.Chairman of the commission Justice (retired) G Radha Rani and NALSAR VC Prof Srikrishna Deva Rao addressed the event.
