Discuss how digitisation of consumer grievance redressal mechanisms (e.g., e-Jagriti) strengthens consumer justice in India. What structural challenges remain in scaling such platforms across states?

Q. Discuss how digitisation of consumer grievance redressal mechanisms (e.g., e-Jagriti) strengthens consumer justice in India. What structural challenges remain in scaling such platforms across states? (15 marks, 250-350 words)

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, in force from 20 July 2020, statutorily provided for e-filing of complaints and online fee payment [4]. Platforms like e-Jagriti convert this mandate into working access to justice, though uneven state capacity still limits scale.

How digitisation strengthens consumer justice

• Whole-lifecycle coverage: e-Jagriti, launched 1 January 2025, unified four legacy applications — CONFONET, e-Daakhil, OCMS and NCDRC-CMS — into a single paperless platform spanning filing, payment, hearing, tracking and disposal [1].
• Speed of redressal: since launch it has enabled over 2.29 lakh case filings and 2.07 lakh disposals — a 90.75% disposal rate [1], easing the chronic pendency that made the earlier fora slow and costly.
• Removal of geographical barriers: OTP-based registration and virtual hearings let consumers file from anywhere; 466 NRI complaints were filed in 2025, led by the USA [3].
• Inclusive design: multilingual support, chatbot assistance and voice-to-text features aid elderly and visually challenged users [1].
• Transparency and accountability: real-time SMS/email updates and online case tracking reduce discretion and make Commissions answerable for timelines [1]. AI-based smart search of archived judgments further compresses disposal time [6].

Structural challenges in scaling across states

• Uneven state capacity: only the NCDRC and 10 States crossed a 100% monthly disposal rate in July 2025 [9]; filings too concentrate in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra [3], indicating patchy institutional readiness.
• Federal coordination: rollout across NCDRC and all 36 States/UTs [1] requires sustained, state-level capacity building for members and staff, as the modernisation workshops recognised [6].
• Digital divide: rural, low-literacy and non-English-speaking consumers still depend on intermediaries.
• Institutional bottlenecks: technology cannot substitute for adequate member strength and hearing infrastructure in District Commissions.

Digitisation has thus shifted consumer redressal from paper-bound and location-bound to accessible and traceable. Sustaining it demands state-level capacity building, assisted-access facilitation centres for offline consumers, and periodic disposal audits — so that the 2019 Act's promise of speedy, inexpensive justice reaches every consumer equally.

(~330 words)

Sources: 1. Prime Minister shares an article on how e-Jagriti digitises the entire lifecycle of a consumer complaint, PIB (4 July 2026) — launch date, integration of four legacy systems, 2.29 lakh filings/90.75% disposal, coverage of 36 States/UTs, inclusive features 2. Centre safeguards consumer rights via various provisions under Consumer Protection Act, 2019, PIB — Act in force from 20 July 2020; e-filing and online fee payment provisions 3. e-Jagriti Revolutionizes Consumer Justice in 2025: Delivering Swifter Redressal and Outperforming 2024 Benchmarks, PIB — 466 NRI complaints led by the USA; state-wise concentration in Gujarat, UP, Maharashtra 4. One Day Capacity Building Workshop on Modernized CONFONET software called e-Jagriti, PIB — AI-based smart search and pendency reduction; stakeholder capacity building 5. NCDRC along with 10 States Achieve Over 100% Disposal Rate of Consumer Cases in July 2025, PIB — uneven disposal performance across states