Delhi Government Undertakes Before High Court To Provide Ladies Washrooms And Drinking Water Facilities In All District Consumer Commissions Within Three Month

The Delhi government further informed a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora that the Department of Food Supplies and Consumer Affairs will provide infrastructure facilities without any order to be placed upon it by the State Commission.

The bench accepted the Delhi Government's assurances and undertakings and directed the Delhi Government to provide a fresh status report on the case within four weeks. “The statements/assurances and undertakings given by the learned counsel for the GNCTD are accepted by this Court and GNCTD is held bound by the same,” the Court said.

This plea was initiated by the NGO Dignity Restoration & Grievance Settlement Association (DRGSA), and others and the Court was told during the previous hearings that the Delhi consumer Commissions lacked the necessary infrastructure and staffing.

The Court observed that even though the present batch of writ petitions has been pending for more than three years, there are no ladies' washrooms or drinking water facilities in any of the capital city’s District Commissions. These needs were raised several times orally in the previous hearings.

The city authorities were previously directed by the Court to provide a status report that included information regarding each consumer forum district by district. The Court had also directed that the details had to include the number of authorised posts held by members of the consumer forums, actual incumbents as of date, the sanctioned staff strength and the actual strength of each forum.

Cause Title: S B Tripathi V. Imran Khan & Anr and other connected matters