UP News: Varanasi Consumer Forum Paralysed For Seven Months Due To Lack Of Stenographer, 1,200 Cases Stuck

For seven months now, justice has been on hold at the Varanasi District Consumer Forum (1). The reason is not a shortage of judges or legal deadlock but the absence of a stenographer (2). Since the retirement of the forum’s only stenographer in March, more than 1,200 cases (3) have remained undecided. Despite repeated reminders, no replacement has been appointed.

The forum, which is legally required to dispose of complaints within six months, has been reduced to conducting hearings without being able to deliver verdicts (4). The forum’s president said four letters have been sent to the directorate seeking appointment of a stenographer, even on contract or honorarium basis, but none of them have received a response. “Without a stenographer, orders cannot be typed, and the process is paralysed,” he said.

Consumer Ordeal

For consumers (5), the delay has turned into an ordeal. Ramesh Tiwari, a resident of Sigra, filed a complaint against a local electronics dealer after his refrigerator failed within two months of purchase. His case was at the final stage of arguments in February, but no order (6) has been issued.

“Each time I inquire, I’m told the order is ready but cannot be typed,” he said. Similarly, Meena Sharma, a school teacher, has been fighting a case against an insurance company (7) for a delayed claim settlement of ₹4 lakh. “I expected quick redressal (8) through the consumer forum, but I have spent more on travel and time chasing status than the actual claim amount,” she said.

Fast-Track System Blocked

The Varanasi consumer forum was established in 1988 and has the authority to hear claims up to ₹50 lakh. Consumers may approach it either in person or through the online portal (9). In principle, it is meant to be a fast-track (10) mechanism to protect citizens from unfair trade practices. But without a stenographer, hearings are being conducted yet judgments remain undelivered, effectively blocking the justice pipeline.

Wider Crisis Across India

The problem in Varanasi is extreme but not unique. Across India, consumer forums are struggling with mounting backlogs and staffing shortages. National data shows that while more than 76,000 new cases were filed in the first half of this year, fewer than 65,000 were disposed of, adding to the pendency. In Maharashtra, over 70,000 cases remain pending, and activists have demanded urgent adoption of online hearings to speed up proceedings. Telangana’s State Consumer Commission has been headless since 2022, causing sharp delays in case disposal. The Supreme Court has also raised concerns, urging the Union government to create permanent consumer adjudicatory bodies with full-time staff and secure tenures to prevent such breakdowns.

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Call for Urgent Reforms

The absence of a stenographer may appear to be a minor clerical issue, but its impact is immense. Legal experts warn that if the state government does not act quickly, the credibility of consumer forums will erode further. Many believe that temporary measures such as deputing stenographers from other districts, appointing one on contract, or using digital dictation tools could have avoided the current crisis. Others argue that the solution lies in structural reform, with proper staffing, accountability and oversight of consumer forums at the state level.

For now, Varanasi’s forum has become a symbol of irony—an institution built to protect consumer rights that has itself failed them. Without urgent intervention, the cases of people like Tiwari and Sharma will remain trapped in files, victims of a system where justice cannot be written because there is no one to write it.