You have 45 days to appeal a District Commission order, and if you were told to pay money, the State Commission will not even hear you until you deposit 50 per cent of that amount first. Miss either step and your appeal is dead before it starts.
Quick answer: Appeal a District Commission order to the State Commission within 45 days under section 41 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Appeal a State Commission order to the NCDRC within 30 days under section 51. A person ordered to pay must deposit 50 per cent of that amount before the appeal is entertained.
A consumer appeal is a request to a higher Consumer Commission to set aside or modify an order you lost. It is not a fresh complaint. The appellate forum reviews the lower order on facts and law. You file it on the same e-Daakhil portal used for the original case, within a strict limitation period.
Appeals are governed by the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Section 41 lets any person aggrieved by a District Commission order appeal to the State Commission on grounds of facts or law within 45 days from the date of the order. The State Commission may condone delay if satisfied there was sufficient cause. Critically, the second proviso bars the appeal unless a person ordered to pay any amount first deposits 50 per cent of that amount.
Section 51 governs the next step: an appeal from a State Commission order to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) within 30 days, again with a mandatory 50 per cent pre-deposit for anyone ordered to pay. Under section 51(3), where a question of law is involved, the memorandum of appeal must precisely state the substantial question of law.
The Supreme Court in Manohar Infrastructure and Constructions Pvt. Ltd. v. Sanjeev Kumar Sharma (7 December 2021) held the section 51 pre-deposit is mandatory, and that for a stay the NCDRC may direct deposit of more than 50 per cent or the entire amount. In ECGC Ltd. v. Mokul Shriram EPC JV (15 February 2022), the Court clarified the 50 per cent condition does not apply to complaints filed before the 2019 Act came into force.
The final tier is the Supreme Court itself. Under section 67, an appeal lies to the Supreme Court within 30 days, but only against an NCDRC order passed in its original jurisdiction, that is, where the NCDRC heard the complaint first. No section 67 appeal lies where the NCDRC merely decided an appeal from a State Commission.
Real-life example: Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak of Lucknow district lost a deficiency-in-service case before the State Commission on 12 March 2026 and was ordered to pay ₹3,20,000 to the complainant. He decided to appeal to the NCDRC under section 51. Because he was the party ordered to pay, he had to deposit 50 per cent, that is ₹1,60,000, before the NCDRC would entertain his appeal. He filed on e-Daakhil on 5 April 2026, within the 30-day limitation, paid the ₹1,60,000 pre-deposit, and precisely stated his substantial question of law. The appeal was registered. Had he filed a day late without explaining the delay, or skipped the ₹1,60,000 deposit, the NCDRC would not have heard him.
45 days from the date of the order, to the State Commission, under section 41 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The State Commission may condone delay only for sufficient cause.
30 days from the date of the order under section 51. The NCDRC may entertain a late appeal if satisfied there was sufficient cause for the delay.
Yes, if you are the person ordered to pay an amount. Sections 41 and 51 bar the appeal unless you deposit 50 per cent of that amount first. The Supreme Court confirmed this is mandatory in Manohar Infrastructure v. Sanjeev Kumar Sharma (2021).
The deposit is held pending the appeal. Its return depends on the final outcome and any directions of the appellate commission, so keep all payment receipts safely.
Only under section 67 and only where the NCDRC passed the order in its original jurisdiction, within 30 days. No section 67 appeal lies where the NCDRC merely decided an appeal from a State Commission.
Yes. Appeals are filed on the e-Daakhil portal at edaakhil.nic.in under the appropriate commission. Upload the impugned order, memorandum of appeal and annexures, and pay fees and the deposit online.
File the appeal with an application for condonation of delay explaining the sufficient cause. Condonation is discretionary; the commission can refuse it, so do not rely on it.
The statute fixes the pre-deposit at 50 per cent of the amount you were ordered to pay and does not set a universal rupee cap. Confirm the exact deposit and the appeal fee on e-Daakhil before filing.