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KATHMANDU, June 15: Since its establishment on March 16, the newly formed Consumer Court has registered 10 cases, with half of them already resolved, most of which are related to the health sector.
According to court official Shobhakar Khanal, the court last week ordered Om Hospital and two doctors to pay Rs 5.68 million in compensation. The ruling followed a case filed in March, which concluded that the hospital and doctors failed to provide proper treatment and prescribed only painkillers without proper diagnosis.
Out of the 10 cases filed, two were settled through reconciliation and three have been adjudicated. Five cases remain pending.
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Earlier, the court also ordered Modern Auto Shop to pay Rs 400,000 in compensation for overcharging on a used motorcycle, and fined a silver shop in New Road Rs 20,000 for selling products above the listed price.
The court is increasingly seeing both criminal and compensation-related complaints. More consumers are now directly seeking legal recourse in cases of fraud, especially regarding overcharging by hospitals.
The Department of Commerce refers serious criminal, compensation, and loss-related cases to the Consumer Court, while it resolves minor complaints internally.
Although the Consumer Protection Act was passed in 2018 (2075 BS), the court was only established this year after a Supreme Court order mandated setting up such courts in all seven provinces. For now, the court operates from the Department of Industry building and hears cases from Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur.
The Act allows consumers to file cases related to rights violations, black-marketing, and overpricing. Complaints must be filed within six months of the incident.
