The Bombay High Court at Goa disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the filling of a post in the Goa State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
Advocate General D. Pangam stated that an offer of appointment has already been given to the selectee for the post of president of the Goa State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. The Advocate General said that in all probabilities, the post will be filled by the end of January 2023.
In so far as administrative control is concerned, the State Government’s order dated 16.03.2019 provides that in the absence of the president of Goa State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, all administrative matters pertaining to the State Commission and District Forum will be entirely dealt with by the Assistant Director, Department of Civil Supplies and Consumers Affairs, Panaji, Goa.
The Advocate General submitted that once the president is appointed, such powers will automatically revert to the president from the very wordings of this order.
In so far as the District Forums/ Commissions are concerned, the matter is governed by Office Memorandum dated 23.03.2021. This Office Memorandum provides that the Reviewing Officer shall be the Assistant Director of Civil Supplies and the counter signatory shall be the Director of Civil Supplies.
Now that presidents have been appointed to the Forums/Commissions, the Advocate General stated that the Reviewing Officer would be the respective president of the District Forums and the Commissions and the counter signatory authority would be the president of the Goa State Disputes Redressal Commission.
The Advocate General further stated that necessary orders to this effect will be issued within two weeks.
The Division Bench of Justice M. S. Sonak and Justice Bharat P. Deshpande directed the authorities concerned to act consistent with such statements and clarifications and do the needful within the timeline indicated above.