The Senate passed a bill ‘The Islamabad Consumers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2011’, on Thursday.The legislation provides for summary trials in the city’s limits, by which, special magistrates can try cases of profiteering, hoarding, black-marketing, adulteration, sale of expired food items, items unfit for human consumption and over-charging prices for consumer goods.
According to the newly included Section (8-A) of the Islamabad Consumers Protection Act, 1995, the magistrates are allowed to try suspects on the spot, and if found guilty, to sentence them with a six-month imprisonment term and a fine of up to Rs 50,000, or both.
The bill also allows any person aggrieved by the order of the special magistrate to submit an appeal to the authority within fifteen days.
The bill stated: “Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions and in addition to the powers exercised by the Authority where any right of a consumer is infringed or contravened by way of profiteering, hoarding, black-marketing, adulteration of food items, selling of expired items of food and other items unfit for human consumption or charging for goods or services in excess of the prices fixed by the competent authority under any law for the time being in force, it shall be tried by a special magistrate appointed under Section 14-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 in a summary manner as provided in sections 262 to 265 of the said Code.
“If a special magistrate has reason to believe that any infringement or contravention of any right of consumer has been committed by any person, he may enter the place or premises where the infringement or contravention has been committed and try the same on the spot and punish the defaulter with imprisonment which may extend to six months or fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees or with both.”
