Section 2
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(1) "advertisement" means any audio or visual publicity, representation, endorsement or pronouncement made by means of light, sound, smoke, gas, print, electronic media, internet or website and includes any notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice or such other documents;
(2) "appropriate laboratory" means a laboratory or an organisation—
(i) recognised by the Central Government; or
(ii) recognised by a State Government, subject to such guidelines as may be issued by the Central Government in this behalf; or
(iii) established by or under any law for the time being in force, which is maintained, financed or aided by the Central Government or a State Government for carrying out analysis or test of any goods with a view to determining whether such goods suffer from any defect;
(3) "branch office" means—
(i) any office or place of work described as a branch by the establishment; or
(ii) any establishment carrying on either the same or substantially the same activity carried on by the head office of the establishment;
(4) "Central Authority" means the Central Consumer Protection Authority established under section 10;
(5) "complainant" means—
(i) a consumer; or
(ii) any voluntary consumer association registered under any law for the time being in force; or
(iii) the Central Government or any State Government; or
(iv) the Central Authority; or
(v) one or more consumers, where there are numerous consumers having the same interest; or
(vi) in case of death of a consumer, his legal heir or legal representative; or
(vii) in case of a consumer being a minor, his parent or legal guardian;
(6) "complaint" means any allegation in writing, made by a complainant for obtaining any relief provided by or under this Act, that—
(i) an unfair contract or unfair trade practice or a restrictive trade practice has been adopted by any trader or service provider;
(ii) the goods bought by him or agreed to be bought by him suffer from one or more defects;
(iii) the services hired or availed of or agreed to be hired or availed of by him suffer from any deficiency;
(iv) a trader or a service provider, as the case may be, has charged for the goods or for the services mentioned in the complaint, a price in excess of the price—
(a) fixed by or under any law for the time being in force; or
(b) displayed on the goods or any package containing such goods; or
(c) displayed on the price list exhibited by him by or under any law for the time being in force; or
(d) agreed between the parties;
(v) the goods, which are hazardous to life and safety when used, are being offered for sale to the public—
(a) in contravention of standards relating to safety of such goods as required to be complied with, by or under any law for the time being in force;
(b) where the trader knows that the goods so offered are unsafe to the public;
(vi) the services which are hazardous or likely to be hazardous to life and safety of the public when used, are being offered by a person who provides any service and who knows it to be injurious to life and safety;
(vii) a claim for product liability action lies against the product manufacturer, product seller or product service provider, as the case may be;
(7) "consumer" means any person who—
(i) buys any goods for a consideration which has been paid or promised or partly paid and partly promised, or under any system of deferred payment and includes any user of such goods other than the person who buys such goods for consideration paid or promised or partly paid or partly promised, or under any system of deferred payment, when such use is made with the approval of such person, but does not include a person who obtains such goods for resale or for any commercial purpose; or
(ii) hires or avails of any service for a consideration which has been paid or promised or partly paid and partly promised, or under any system of deferred payment and includes any beneficiary of such service other than the person who hires or avails of the services for consideration paid or promised, or partly paid and partly promised, or under any system of deferred payment, when such services are availed of with the approval of the first mentioned person, but does not include a person who avails of such service for any commercial purpose.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause,—
(a) the expression "commercial purpose" does not include use by a person of goods bought and used by him exclusively for the purpose of earning his livelihood, by means of self-employment;
(b) the expressions "buys any goods" and "hires or avails any services" includes offline or online transactions through electronic means or by teleshopping or direct selling or multi-level marketing;
(8) "consumer dispute" means a dispute where the person against whom a complaint has been made, denies or disputes the allegations contained in the complaint;
(9) "consumer rights" includes,—
(i) the right to be protected against the marketing of goods, products or services which are hazardous to life and property;
(ii) the right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods, products or services, as the case may be, so as to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices;
(iii) the right to be assured, wherever possible, access to a variety of goods, products or services at competitive prices;
(iv) the right to be heard and to be assured that consumer's interests will receive due consideration at appropriate fora;
(v) the right to seek redressal against unfair trade practice or restrictive trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers; and
(vi) the right to consumer awareness;
(10) "defect" means any fault, imperfection or shortcoming in the quality, quantity, potency, purity or standard which is required to be maintained by or under any law for the time being in force or under any contract, express or implied or as is claimed by the trader in any manner whatsoever in relation to any goods or product and the expression "defective" shall be construed accordingly;
(11) "deficiency" means any fault, imperfection, shortcoming or inadequacy in the quality, nature and manner of performance which is required to be maintained by or under any law for the time being in force or has been undertaken to be performed by a person in pursuance of a contract or otherwise in relation to any service and includes—
(i) any act of negligence or omission or commission by such person which causes loss or injury to the consumer; and
(ii) deliberate withholding of relevant information by such person to the consumer;
(12) "design", in relation to a product, means the intended or known physical and material characteristics of such product and includes any intended or known formulation or content of such product and the usual result of the intended manufacturing or other process used to produce such product;
(13) "direct selling" means marketing, distribution and sale of goods or provision of services through a network of sellers, other than through a permanent retail location;
(14) "Director-General" means the Director-General appointed under sub-section (2) of section 15;
(15) "District Commission" means a District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission established under sub-section (1) of section 28;
(16) "e-commerce" means buying or selling of goods or services including digital products over digital or electronic network;
(17) "electronic service provider" means a person who provides technologies or processes to enable a product seller to engage in advertising or selling goods or services to a consumer and includes any online market place or online auction sites;
(18) "endorsement", in relation to an advertisement, means—
(i) any message, verbal statement, demonstration; or
(ii) depiction of the name, signature, likeness or other identifiable personal characteristics of an individual; or
(iii) depiction of the name or seal of any institution or organisation, which makes the consumer to believe that it reflects the opinion, finding or experience of the person making such endorsement;
(19) "establishment" includes an advertising agency, commission agent, manufacturing, trading or any other commercial agency which carries on any business, trade or profession or any work in connection with or incidental or ancillary to any
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