India's consumer courts processed over 1.3 lakh online case filings within the first year of e-Jagriti, the unified portal that replaced eDaakhil on January 1, 2025. If you are still reading guides about eDaakhil, they are out of date. This article explains the current procedure, correct jurisdiction thresholds, court fees, and — the part most guides skip — the seven most common reasons complaints get returned with defects.
What Is e-Jagriti?
e-Jagriti (https://e-jagriti.gov.in) is an AI-enabled, paperless case management platform launched by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. On January 1, 2025, it absorbed four legacy systems: the old e-Daakhil portal, OCMS, CMS, and Confonet. All cases previously filed on those systems were automatically migrated.
The portal handles filings at all three consumer commission tiers — District, State, and National — and supports complaints, appeals, revision petitions, execution applications, and miscellaneous applications (caveats, review petitions, interim applications).
Which Consumer Commission Should You File In? (2025 Jurisdiction Table)
Under the Consumer Protection (Jurisdiction of the District Commission, the State Commission and the National Commission) Rules, 2021 — which revised the limits originally set in the Consumer Protection Act 2019 — the operative pecuniary thresholds are:
| Commission | Pecuniary Jurisdiction | Governing Section |
|---|---|---|
| District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) | Value of goods/services paid as consideration up to ₹50 lakh | Section 34, CP Act 2019 |
| State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC) | Above ₹50 lakh and up to ₹2 crore | Section 47, CP Act 2019 |
| National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) | Above ₹2 crore | Section 58, CP Act 2019 |
Critical point: Under the 2019 Act, jurisdiction is calculated on the price actually paid for the goods or services, not on the compensation claimed. If you paid ₹40 lakh for a flat and are claiming ₹80 lakh in damages, the District Commission has jurisdiction — because the consideration paid was ₹40 lakh, which falls under ₹50 lakh.
This is a departure from the 1986 Act, where courts sometimes counted both consideration and claimed compensation. Filing in the wrong commission is one of the most common defects.
Territorial jurisdiction: You can file before the DCDRC where: - The opposite party (or a branch/office) is located, or - The cause of action (deficiency, unfair trade practice) wholly or partly arose.
Court Fees on e-Jagriti (2025)
| Claim Amount | Fee Payable |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹5 lakh | Nil (free) |
| Above ₹5 lakh (District Commission) | Prescribed fee — check portal |
| State Commission (₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore) | ₹2,000 |
| State Commission (₹1 crore to ₹2 crore) | ₹4,000 |
| National Commission | As prescribed; may be paid online or via Demand Draft in favour of the Registrar, NCDRC |
Payment on e-Jagriti is made online through the integrated payment gateway (net banking, credit/debit card). Once paid, the receipt is auto-generated and attached to your filing record.
Documents You Must Have Before Filing
Gather these before starting your session on e-Jagriti — the portal does not save partial drafts reliably:
- Government-issued identity proof (Aadhaar, Driving Licence, or Passport) in PDF format.
- Evidence documents (bills, receipts, delivery documents, email correspondence, WhatsApp screenshots, product photos) — PDF or JPEG only.
- Notarised affidavit — mandatory under the Consumer Protection Act 2019. The affidavit must confirm that the facts in the complaint are true and correct to the best of your knowledge. It must be signed before a Notary Public. Un-notarised affidavits are a leading cause of defect notices.
- Legal notice and reply (if sent) — attach the notice and any acknowledgement of delivery.
- Vakalatnama — required only if you are represented by an advocate. If you are filing yourself (which is allowed), no vakalatnama is needed.
- Complaint draft — on plain paper (no prescribed form is required under Section 35 of the CP Act 2019, but the portal provides a template). State: parties' details, facts, alleged deficiency or unfair trade practice, relief claimed.
Step-by-Step Filing Procedure on e-Jagriti
Step 1 — Register on the portal Visit https://e-jagriti.gov.in. Enter your mobile number and email; verify via OTP; create a password. Complainants register as "Consumer"; advocates register separately as "Advocate."
Step 2 — Select the correct commission and tier After login, choose the commission type (District / State / National) and then the specific commission in your state/district. Getting this right prevents jurisdictional rejections.
Step 3 — Enter party details Add your details as complainant and the opposite party's full name, address, and contact details. If there are multiple opposite parties, add each.
Step 4 — Describe the complaint Choose the category (deficiency in service / defective goods / unfair trade practice / restrictive trade practice / misleading advertisement). Describe the cause of action, attaching relevant facts with dates.
Step 5 — Upload documents Upload each document individually. Files must be in PDF or JPEG format. Maximum file size limits apply — compress large PDFs before uploading.
Step 6 — Pay court fee If a fee applies, pay via the integrated payment gateway. Save the payment receipt.
Step 7 — Submit and note your case number After submission you receive an acknowledgement with a filing reference number. Note it — you will use it to track status.
Important — limitation period: Your complaint must be filed within 2 years from the date the cause of action arose (Section 69, CP Act 2019). If the period has expired, you must file a condonation of delay application with sufficient cause, along with your complaint.
7 Common Reasons Consumer Complaints Get Rejected or Returned with Defects
These are the defect categories most frequently cited by commission registries:
1. Filing in the wrong commission (jurisdictional mismatch) This is the leading defect. Advocates and litigants calculate jurisdiction on compensation claimed rather than consideration paid, landing in a higher commission than the case warrants — or the reverse.
2. Missing or un-notarised affidavit The affidavit must be notarised. An affidavit that is merely signed (not before a Notary) or stamped but not notarised will be returned. This defect is nearly universal among first-time filers.
3. Missing vakalatnama when advocate files If an advocate has signed the complaint or is listed as representative but no vakalatnama is attached, the complaint is defective.
4. Incomplete or incorrect party addresses If the opposite party's registered office or branch address is wrong or missing, the commission cannot issue notice. Always verify the corporate entity's registered address from the MCA portal (mca.gov.in) before filing against a company.
5. Documents in wrong format Only PDF and JPEG are accepted. Word documents, Excel files, or photographs in HEIC format are not processed. Portal sometimes accepts the upload but flags the file at scrutiny.
6. Limitation period not addressed If the cause of action is older than 2 years and the complaint does not include a condonation application with reasons for delay, the registry will issue a defect notice or the commission will dismiss the complaint on the date of admission.
7. Portal technical defects (transition-period issue) The January 2025 migration created data gaps for some legacy e-Daakhil cases. If you encounter an error preventing defect rectification — a documented issue noted in Pramod Kumar Roy & Ors. v. Oriental Insurance Co. (July 2025) — contact the commission registry directly for manual intervention rather than re-filing.
Timeline After You File
- Registry scrutiny: Your filing is reviewed by registry staff, usually within a few working days.
- Defect notice: If a defect is found, you receive a notice to cure within the time specified. Failure to cure on time can result in dismissal.
- Admission order: Section 36 of the CP Act 2019 requires the commission to decide admissibility ordinarily within 21 days. If no order is passed in 21 days, the complaint is deemed admitted.
- Notice to opposite party: After admission, notice is issued to the opposite party with a copy of the complaint.
- Reply by opposite party: Opposite party has 30 days to file a reply (extendable by up to 15 more days for sufficient cause).
- Disposal target: Consumer courts are directed to target disposal within 3 months (product liability cases) or 5 months (other cases) from the date of receipt of opposite party's reply.
FAQ
Can I file a consumer complaint on e-Jagriti without a lawyer? Yes. Under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, you can file and appear in person before any consumer commission without being represented by an advocate. No vakalatnama is required if you are self-representing.
My complaint on eDaakhil is pending since 2024 — is it still valid? Yes. All cases on eDaakhil were migrated to e-Jagriti on January 1, 2025. Your case number and documents should be accessible on e-Jagriti with your old login credentials, or contact your respective commission registry if you face access issues.
What if my complaint is time-barred? Can I still file? You can file along with a separate condonation of delay application explaining sufficient cause for the delay. The commission has discretion to condone delays beyond 2 years if the reason is genuine (medical emergency, fraud by opposite party, portal inaccessibility). Attach evidence supporting the reason for delay.
Can I file against Amazon, Flipkart, or a large company on e-Jagriti? Yes, provided you can establish that they have a registered office or a branch in your district or that the cause of action arose there. For e-commerce platforms, Section 2(47) of the CP Act 2019 specifically includes e-commerce as a service, making these platforms accountable as service providers.
What counts as 'deficiency in service' under the Consumer Protection Act 2019? Any fault, imperfection, shortcoming, or inadequacy in the quality, nature, or manner of performance of a service — whether measured against a contract, law, or reasonable expectation. This includes delays in delivery, failure to refund, hidden charges, and refusal to honour warranty.
Can I get an interim injunction or stay from a consumer commission? Yes. Under Section 38(8) of the CP Act 2019, consumer commissions have power to grant interim relief including stay orders. File a separate interim application along with your main complaint if urgent relief is needed.
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For advocates handling consumer cases alongside criminal or property matters, see also our guides on Section 138 NI Act compounding procedures and Kerala REAT appeal procedure, which cover adjacent practice areas.
This article reflects the law and portal procedure as of June 2026. Court fee schedules and portal features may be updated by the Department of Consumer Affairs. Always verify current fees and requirements on e-jagriti.gov.in before filing.