How to file a consumer complaint in India, start to finish

What the law says

Who counts as a consumer

You are a consumer if you bought goods or hired a service for a price, and the definition is read broadly. It even covers a beneficiary of a service, not just the person who paid, as the Madras High Court held in ICICI Lombard General Insurance v. Noorunissa (2024). What it does not cover is buying something to resell or purely for a commercial purpose. So the forum is open for a wide range of everyday problems, whether it is an online seller who cheated you, being charged above the MRP, or a cancelled flight or hotel booking.

The three things you can complain about are a defect in goods, a deficiency in a service, or an unfair or restrictive trade practice.

Which commission: the three tiers, and where to file

Consumer commissions sit in three tiers, and which one you go to depends on the value of the claim, measured by the consideration you paid, not by the compensation you are asking for. The District Commission handles the lowest tier, up to Rs 50 lakh, a figure reduced from the original Rs 1 crore by a notification dated December 30, 2021, as the Madras High Court confirmed in Gorantla Geosynthetics v. Akshaya Signature Homes (2025). The State Commission takes larger claims, and the National Commission the largest; the Act originally set the State tier above Rs 1 crore up to Rs 10 crore and the National tier above Rs 10 crore, and those higher-tier amounts were also revised by the same notification, so for a large claim confirm the current threshold.

Territory matters too. You can file where the opposite party lives, works, or has a branch, where the cause of action arose, wholly or in part, or where you yourself live or work. That last option is deliberately convenient, so you usually do not have to travel to the seller's city.

Filing on e-Daakhil, the fee, and the two-year clock

You can file electronically through the e-Daakhil portal, which the courts have directed be rolled out across the commissions, or in person. Your complaint sets out the facts, attaches your documents (the bill, the correspondence, photographs), states the relief you want, and is supported by an affidavit, along with a prescribed fee that scales with the claim value.

Watch the clock. Under the two-year limitation, a complaint must be filed within two years of the date the cause of action arose. A later filing is not automatically barred, but you must satisfy the commission that you had sufficient cause for the delay, and it will record its reasons, so do not sit on a grievance.

The timeline, the reliefs, and appeals

Once you file, the opposite party is served and gets 30 days to respond, extendable by up to 15 more, and that 45-day limit is mandatory, the commission cannot accept a late written statement, as the Supreme Court held in New India Assurance v. Hilli Multipurpose Cold Storage (2020). A party that misses it is not shut out entirely, though; it can still take part in the hearing and cross-examine. The commission is meant to decide within three months, or five if the goods need testing.

On reliefs, a consumer commission can order the trader to remove the defect, replace the goods, refund what you paid, pay compensation for your loss, stop an unfair or restrictive trade practice, and pay your costs. The State and National Commissions can also declare an unfair term in a consumer contract null and void, as the Supreme Court held in M/S Texco Marketing v. Tata AIG (2022). If you are unhappy with the outcome, you appeal a District Commission order to the State Commission (which requires a part-deposit of the amount ordered), then to the National Commission, and finally to the Supreme Court; a writ petition is generally not entertained while these statutory appeals exist.

What you can do

1. Confirm you are a consumer with a consumer dispute. You paid for goods or a service, including as a beneficiary, and there is a defect, a deficiency, or an unfair trade practice; a purely commercial or resale purchase does not qualify.
2. Pick the commission by claim value and place. The District Commission takes claims up to Rs 50 lakh; larger claims go to the State and then the National Commission. File where the opposite party is, where the problem arose, or where you live or work.
3. File within two years. The two-year clock runs from when the cause of action arose. If you are late, be ready to show sufficient cause for the delay, in writing.
4. File on e-Daakhil, or in person. Use the e-Daakhil portal to file online with your complaint, your documents, an affidavit, and the prescribed fee, keeping copies of everything.
5. State the exact relief you want. Ask specifically for a refund, replacement, repair, compensation, an end to the unfair practice, and costs; the State and National Commissions can also strike down an unfair contract term.
6. Expect the timeline and the response rule. The other side gets 45 days to reply and no more, and the commission aims to decide within three months, five if testing is needed.
7. Use the appeal ladder, not the High Court. Appeal a District order to the State Commission (with the required part-deposit), then the National Commission, then the Supreme Court, rather than filing a writ.

Cases that matter

New India Assurance v. Hilli Multipurpose Cold Storage (Supreme Court, 2020). The opposite party's time to file a written response, 30 days plus a 15-day extension, is mandatory, and a commission has no power to accept a reply beyond that 45-day limit. The clock also runs only from when the party is actually served with the complaint.

Gorantla Geosynthetics v. Akshaya Signature Homes (Madras High Court, 2025). A District Commission's pecuniary jurisdiction is measured by the consideration paid, and the notification dated December 30, 2021 reduced the District Commission's limit from the original Rs 1 crore to Rs 50 lakh. It is the case that fixes the current District threshold.

M/S Texco Marketing v. Tata AIG (Supreme Court, 2022). The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 gives the State and National Commissions the power to examine the terms of a consumer contract and to declare any term that is unfair to a consumer null and void, so an insurer or seller cannot hide behind an oppressive clause.

ICICI Lombard General Insurance v. Noorunissa (Madras High Court, 2024). The definition of "consumer" is wide and includes a beneficiary who takes the benefit of a service, not only the person who paid for it, so a commission's jurisdiction is not defeated on the technical ground that the complainant was not the direct purchaser.