Question

Any person aggrieved by an order made by the District forum may prefer an appeal against such order to the ---------- within a period of ---------- days from the date of the order.

• A. State Commission,30
• B. State Tribunal,30
• C. State Forum, 30
• D. State Commission, 60

Hint:

Remember the hierarchy of the consumer forums under the 1986 Act: District Forum $\rightarrow$ State Commission $\rightarrow$ National Commission $\rightarrow$ Supreme Court. The limitation period for appeal at each stage (except to the Supreme Court) is 30 days.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks about the appellate hierarchy and the limitation period for filing an appeal against an order of the District Forum under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
The relevant statutory provision is Section 15 of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
Section 15. Appeal.— "Any person aggrieved by an order made by the District Forum may prefer an appeal against such order to the State Commission within a period of thirty days from the date of the order..."
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The Act establishes a three-tier quasi-judicial machinery:
1. District Forum at the district level.
2. State Commission at the state level.
3. National Commission at the national level.
The appellate route is from the District Forum to the State Commission. Section 15 explicitly provides the appellate authority (State Commission) and the limitation period (30 days).
Step 4: Final Answer:
An appeal may be preferred to the State Commission within a period of 30 days.

Answer 2

This question tests two things together, the correct name of the appellate authority above the District Forum, and the correct number of days within which an appeal must be filed. Section 15 of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 answers both.

1. State Commission, 30: Section 15 names the appellate body as the "State Commission" and fixes the appeal period at thirty days from the date of the District Forum's order. Both the name and the number match the statute exactly.
2. State Tribunal, 30: The three-tier consumer redressal machinery consists of the District Forum, State Commission and National Commission; there is no body called a "State Tribunal" in this structure, so this option uses a name that does not exist under the Act, even though the day-count happens to be right.
3. State Forum, 30: "Forum" is the term used for the district-level body, not the state-level appellate body; calling the appellate authority a "State Forum" conflates the two tiers and does not match the Act's terminology, despite the correct day-count.
4. State Commission, 60: The name here is correct, but the period is not; Section 15 fixes thirty days, not sixty, as the window for filing an appeal against a District Forum order.

Only the first option gets both the appellate authority's name and the limitation period right.

Therefore, the correct answer is State Commission, 30.