LAHORE: In pursuance to the Punjab Consumer Protection (Amendment) Act 2025, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has authorised all sessions courts in the province to hear cases filed or pending before the defunct ‘consumer courts’.

The Punjab Assembly passed the amendment in June, abolishing all 17 consumer courts in the province that were established under the law passed in 2005.

Majority of the consumer courts, including those in Lahore district, have already been awaiting presiding judges for at least four months. The staff members of these courts have been transferred to other positions.

According to a notification issued by the Directorate of District Judiciary, all district & sessions judges (D&SJs) and additional district & sessions judges (AD&SJs) posted in the field have been designated as consumer courts judges to try cases in their respective districts.

The D&SJ of each district in Punjab has been notified as the administrative judge of the consumer courts within their respective jurisdiction. The administrative judge has been authorised to entrust fresh complaints pending in the defunct ‘consumer courts’ to one or more sessions courts depending on the workload.

Critics see the move as a favour to businesses and hurdle to speedy justice; new law leads to abolition of 17 consumer courts set up in 2005

The consumer rights advocates allege that the government amended the law to please traders and sections of the legal fraternity rather than the public. They argue that the abolition of the dedicated consumer courts would drastically reduce access to ‘speedy’ justice for consumers.

“Previously, a consumer complaint would be decided within three to four months in a specialised consumer court. Now, the same complaint would take years to see a decision due to huge backlog in overburdened sessions courts,” an activist said.

Legal experts point out that the sessions courts are already flooded with criminal and civil litigation, leaving little room for timely adjudication of consumer disputes. They believe that this step would dilute the essence of consumer protection law. They express concern that the new arrangement would transfer consumer protection to the jurisdiction of an already overwhelmed judicial system, turning an accessible remedy into a protracted legal ordeal.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2025