An appeal filed before the State Commission or the National Commission, as the case may be, shall be heard as expeditiously as possible and every endeavour shall be made to dispose of the appeal within a period of ninety days from the date of its admission:
Provided that no adjournment shall ordinarily be granted by the State Commission or the National Commission, as the case may be, unless sufficient cause is shown and the reasons for grant of adjournment have been recorded in writing by such Commission:
Provided further that the State Commission or the National Commission, as the case may be, shall make such orders as to the costs occasioned by the adjournment, as may be specified by regulations:
Provided also that in the event of an appeal being disposed of after the period so specified, the State Commission or the National Commission, as the case may be, shall record in writing the reasons for the same at the time of disposing of the said appeal.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 52
Section 52 governs the hearing and expeditious disposal of appeals before the State Commission and the National Commission. It sets a statutory target of deciding appeals within ninety days from the date of admission, prohibits routine adjournments, mandates the imposition of costs for adjournments, and requires commissions to record written reasons whenever an appeal is disposed of beyond the ninety-day period.
Oppose casual or routine requests for adjournment by the respondent by citing Section 52 first and second provisos. Demand exemplary adjournment costs under the Consumer Protection Regulations, 2020. If an appeal remains pending beyond ninety days from admission, file an urgent application for expeditious day-to-day hearing invoking the statutory mandate of Section 52.