RAJEEV HITENDRA PATHAK vs ACHYUT KASHINATH KAREKAR

The Supreme Court addressed the powers of District Consumer Forums and State Commissions under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, specifically regarding their ability to recall or review ex parte orders. The Court held that the State Commission does have the authority to restore a complaint that was dismissed for want of prosecution, thereby overruling the precedent set in Jyotsana Arvind Kumar Shah v. Bombay Hospital Trust (1999) 4 SCC 325. The judgment clarified that the earlier view was inconsistent with the provisions of the Act, thus affirming the validity of the State Commission's actions in this case.