Consumer Redressal Agencies:
1. Consumer Redressal Agencies, similar to the courts in functioning; have been established very recently.
2. The very objects of consumer redressal agencies are to provide the speedy and inexpensive remedies to the aggrieved consumers.
1. The consumer redressal agencies are not required to follow these rigid legal procedures. They are exempted from the principle of strict adherence to the legal procedures. This is an advantage to the consumers.
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2. The aggrieved parties are not required to pay Court fee. This is an advantages of the consumer.
3. The parties need not appoint advocates. They present their cases, arguments, witnesses, documents, etc. in an ordinary manner, just like before the village panchayath.
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4. There are only three tier consumer disputes redressal agencies, i.e. District Level, State Level and National Level.
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7. The Consumer Disputes Redressal Agencies enquire into the minute cases, involving the amounts of Rs. 10/- to more than one crore. Hence the aggrieved consumer, who purchased a Reynolds pen, can file a complaint before the District Consumer Forum, if it does not give service.
8. In the Consumer Disputes Redressal Agencies, too much time is not taken. Maximum time for any case is specified in the Act itself. These Agencies are not required to follow the rigid legal procedures. Hence huge numbers of cases are disposed quickly.
9. They solve the consumer disputes basing upon the facts and law, most particularly basing upon the facts.
10. These are quasi-judicial bodies. Its members are appointed from judicial and non-official.
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11. These agencies concentrate only on consumer grievances.
12. Besides disposing the cases, these agencies also concentrate on the consumer rights, consumer movement, consumer education, consumer awareness, consumer sovereignty, etc.
13. These agencies work on the principle of “socioeconomic, welfare, safety and health” of the people. They concentrate more on the human rights fundamental rights, welfare, social measures etc.
14. The Consumer Disputes Redressal Agencies are not competent to Dass the ad-interim orders.
Ordinary Courts:
1. The ordinary courts of civil and criminal nature were established some thousands years ago.
2. The ordinary courts delay in announcing their judgments due to complex and complicated legal procedures. Thus the parties have to incur huge amounts towards the court-fee, advocate’s fee, travelling expenses, etc. Years take for getting justice. It is a common philosophy of law that “delayed justice is not justice”. However, in practice, unwanted and too much delay is occurring in the courts.
3. The ordinary courts shall have to follow the rigid procedures of law, i.e. the provisions of the Evidence Act, Criminal Procedure Code, the Civil Procedure Code, etc.
4. The aggrieved party shall have to pay court fee in ordinary courts.
5. The parties are required to appoint advocates incurring huge amount.
6. There is a hierarchy of courts in India from Tahasil level to the National level. The parties involved in a dispute shall have to wander around the courts throughout their lives.
7.The ordinary courts do not entertain the small value cases. Every court has its own pecuniary jurisdiction.
8. There are lakhs of cases pending before ordinary courts from Mandal level to the Supreme Court level. No time is fixed by law to dispose the civil or criminal cases.
9. They solve the disputes basing upon the facts and. law, but depending mostly upon the law.
10. These are purely judicial bodies.
11. Their jurisdiction is very elaborative, i.e. transfer of property, marriages, religious, partition, business, companies, crimes, etc., etc.
12. They cannot go outside the scope of legal field.
13. They concentrate only on the issues of the proceedings.
14. The ordinary courts can grant the ad-interim orders.