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Section 30: Salaries, allowances and other terms and conditions of service of President and members of District Commission

Consumer Protection Act • Official Statutory Text & Practice Guide

Statutory Regulation
Legal Standard
Competent Court / Tribunal
Act 2019
Section 29 All 107 Sections of Consumer Protection Act Section 31

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 30

Section 30 authorizes the State Government to make rules providing for the salaries, allowances, and other terms and conditions of service of the President and members of the District Commission. It establishes the principle of financial security as a constitutional and statutory imperative for safeguarding quasi-judicial impartiality and institutional independence.

  • State Government Rule-Making Competence: Empowers the State Government to notify rules fixing pay scales, sitting fees, housing, travel, and medical benefits for District Commission members.
  • Non-Diminution Protection: The terms and conditions of service, salaries, and allowances of the President and members cannot be varied to their disadvantage during their tenure of office.
  • Parity with Subordinate Judiciary: Aligns the remuneration and perquisites of District Commission Presidents with District Judges or equivalent judicial ranks to attract competent legal minds.
Key Landmark Precedents:
  • State of U.P. v. All U.P. Consumer Protection Bar Association (2017) 1 SCC 444: The Supreme Court held that adequate salaries, perks, and pensions for members of consumer commissions are essential prerequisites to guarantee independence, integrity, and efficiency in consumer dispute redressal.
  • K. Shamrao v. City Co-operative Bank Ltd. (2003) 3 SCC 530: Affirmed that bodies performing quasi-judicial adjudicatory functions must be provided with terms and conditions of service that insulate them from executive subservience.
Courtroom Practice & Strategic Litigation Guidance:

Pay parity and financial independence of judicial members are essential elements of fair trial; service conditions must comply with model rules approved by the Supreme Court. Counsel representing litigants should be aware that systemic strikes or boycotts by members over unpaid allowances can be redressed through writ petitions seeking mandamus against the State Finance Department under Section 30.

Section 29 All 107 Sections of Consumer Protection Act Section 31