Section 4 in Consumer Protection (Punjab) Rules, 1987
4. Place of sitting and other matters relating to District Forum section 14(3) sub-section (3) of Section 14 of C.P.A. 1986.
(1)The office of the District Forum shall be located at the headquarter of the District. Where State Government decided to establish a single District Forum having jurisdiction over more than one District, it shall notify the place and jurisdiction of the District Forum so established.(2)The working days and the office hours of the District Forum shall be the same as that of the State Government.(3)The official seal and emblem of the District Forum shall be such as the State Government may spccify.(4)Sitting of the District Forum, as and when necessary, shall be convened by the president.(5)No act or proceedings of the District Forum shall be invalid by reason only of the existence of any vacancy among its members or any defect in its constitution.(6)The State Government shall appoint such staff, as may be necessary to assist the District Forum in its day of day work and preform such other functions as are provided under these rules, or assigned to it by the President. The salary payable to such staff shall be defrayed out of the Consolidated Fund of the State Government.(7)Where the opposite party admits the allegation made by the complainant, the District forum shall decide the complaint on the basis of the merit of the case and documents present before it.(8)If during the proceedings conducted under section 13, the District Forum fixes a date for hearing of the parties, it shall be obligatory on the complainant and opposite party or its authorised agent to appear before the District Forum on such date of hearing or any other date to which hearing could be adjourned. Where the complainant or his authorised agent fails to appear before the District Forum on such day, the District Forum may in its discretion either dismiss the complaint for default or decide it on merit. Where the opposite party or its authorised agent fails to appear on the day of hearing, the District Forum may decide the complaint ex parte.(9)While proceedings under sub-rule (8), the District Forum may, on such terms as it may think fit and at any stage, adjourn the hearing of the complaint but not more than one adjournment shall ordinarily be given and the complaint shall be decided within ninety days from the date of the notice received by the opposite party where complaint does not require analysis or testing of the goods and within one hundred and fifty days if it requires analysis or testing of the goods.(10)Order of the District Forum shall be signed and dated by the members of the District Forum constituting the Bench and shall be communicated to the parties free of charge.
