Mediation
Also called: Consumer mediation · Topic: Consumer Rights and Consumer Protection · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 5 "Consumer Rights"
Meaning
Mediation is a way of settling a consumer dispute with the help of a neutral person, the mediator, outside the commission. The mediator helps the two sides reach their own agreement. Under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 and the Mediation Regulations 2020, a commission may send a case to a consumer mediation cell, but only if both parties agree. Such cells exist at the District, State and National levels. Mediation saves the time and cost of a full hearing. No appeal lies against a mediated settlement, so the agreement is final.
Example
A buyer complains that a builder delayed handing over their flat. With both sides' consent, the District Commission sends the case to its mediation cell. There the two agree on compensation, and the case ends without a trial.
Don't confuse with
- Adjudication by a commission: in adjudication the commission itself decides the case, and its order can be appealed. In mediation the parties settle it themselves, and the settlement cannot be appealed.