ThePrintPod: Govt control has weakened Indian consumers by taking away their right to sue

The year 2025 closed with a series of consumer rights breaches in the services sector. In early December, IndiGo cancelled and rescheduled flights en masse due to operational mismanagement and pilot scheduling issues.In the securities markets, —Avadhut Sathe Trading Academy was alleged to have misled its students on various counts. And, in a lesser-known incident, a consumer approached the Supreme Court over an incorrect negative credit score that refused to rectify despite previous court orders. In all three cases, an arm of the State intervened, but consumers did not get compensation for the harms they suffered. This underscores a larger faultine: the law has weakened the average Indian consumer by taking away their agency to sue the service provider and obtain relief for themselves. If we're serious about consumer welfare, we must empower them to sue, invidually where possible and collectively, where necessary. Watch this week's column by Bhargavi Zaveri-Shah for #ThePrint