Consumer Protection

As per the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, a consumer complaint can be filed within a period of two years from the date on which the cause of action arises.
The cause of action refers to the date on which the consumer suffers loss or damage due to defective goods, deficient services, unfair trade practices, or restrictive trade practices.
This time limit has been fixed to ensure that complaints are filed within a reasonable period so that evidence is available and disputes can be resolved efficiently.
However, the Consumer Commission may allow a complaint to be filed even after the expiry of two years if the complainant is able to show sufficient cause for the delay.
Thus, normally a consumer must file a complaint within two years from the date of cause of action under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

An appeal against the orders of the National Commission can be made to the Supreme Court of India.
The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission is the highest consumer dispute redressal body at the national level under the Consumer Protection Act. Since it functions as the apex authority in the consumer dispute redressal system, there is no higher consumer forum above it.
As per the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, any person aggrieved by an order passed by the National Commission has the right to file an appeal directly before the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court examines whether the order passed is legally valid and in accordance with the law.
Therefore, the Supreme Court of India serves as the final appellate authority against the orders of the National Commission.