At, National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission NCDRC
By, THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE V.K. JAIN
By, PRESIDING MEMBER
For the Petitioner: Kunal Chatterji, Advocate. For the Respondents: ------
Judgment Text
An appeal was preferred by New India Assurance Company before the State Commission against three persons, including the petitioner Golden Trust Financial Services. Vide order No. 08 dated 06.1.2020, the State Commission directed as under:“Learned Advocate for Appellant is present. None appears on behalf of the Respondent. Fix 24.6.2020 for ex parte hearing.”2. Being aggrieved from the order passed by the State Commission, the petitioner is before this Commission.3. In my opinion, even if the petitioner was not present on 06.1.2020, it is always open to its counsel to appear before the State Commission on any subsequent date of hearing and argue the matter on behalf of the petitioner. The State Commission, despite absence of the petitioner on 06.1.2020, did not decide the appeal on merits, rather the appeal was adjourned to 24.6.2020 for ex-parte hearing. The State Commission was dealing with an appeal and not with the original consumer complaint. Therefore, if no-one was present for the petitioner on a particular date of hearing, the State Commission could have heard the other parties and decided the appeal on merits. But, having not decided the appeal on merits and having deferred the matter for hearing, the State Commission cannot disallow the petitioner Golden Trust Financial Services from appearing on any subsequent hearing and placing its case before the State Commission. It is therefore, clarified that despite the order passed by the State Commission on 06.1.2020, the petitioner shall be entitled to appear before the State Commission and argue the appeal on merits.The Revision Petition stands disposed of accordingly.4. The learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the matter is listed today before the State Commission for hearing. If this is so, the local counsel can convey this order to the Stat
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e Commission and either argue the appeal if allowed by the State Commission, on the basis of his oral submission, or he may seek an adjournment for submitting a copy of this order to the State Commission.