Which Regulator Do I Complain To? India Complaint Routing Hub

Match your problem to its regulator, then file on that regulator's own portal: bank, NBFC or UPI goes to RBI; shares and mutual funds to SEBI; insurance to IRDAI; phone, DTH or broadband to TRAI; flights to DGCA AirSewa; company fraud to MCA; and anything else to the National Consumer Helpline on 1915. Filing in the wrong place wastes weeks, so pick the right authority first.

Short on time? Jump to the decision table below, find your problem in the left column, and open the portal in the right column.

India has one regulator per sector, and each runs its own grievance portal. A mis-routed complaint does not get forwarded automatically. It sits, or it gets closed as “not maintainable,” and your clock keeps running.

Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak learned this the slow way. A bank had wrongly debited an annual locker fee, and he emailed the banking regulator first. Weeks passed with no movement. The complaint should have gone to the bank's grievance cell, then to RBI's Ombudsman only after 30 days. Once he filed it on cms.rbi.org.in in the correct order, it closed in under a month.

Two rules cover almost every case. First, complain to the company itself before you escalate to its regulator. Most regulators only accept a grievance after the firm has had its chance and failed. Second, regulators police the sector and direct the firm; they rarely pay you compensation. For money back, the consumer forum is often the real remedy.

Find your problem on the left. Verify the portal name before you file, because gov portals do get renamed.

When in doubt, start with the National Consumer Helpline on 1915. It is the catch-all and will point you to the right sector regulator.

Some problems sit on a border. Use the “who sold it and who is to blame” test.

1. Bank-sold insurance (bancassurance). If a bank pushed an insurance policy you did not want, the grievance is about insurance, so it goes to IRDAI on Bima Bharosa. If the bank simply debited a premium without consent, that is a banking conduct issue for RBI.
2. Payment-app dispute (UPI, wallet). A failed or fraudulent UPI transaction is an RBI matter; file on cms.rbi.org.in after the app's own grievance cell. The NPCI dispute system inside the app is the first step.
3. Demat freeze or broker default. A blocked demat account or a broker who will not return funds is a securities-market issue for SEBI on SCORES.
4. Telecom billing fraud. Wrong telecom charges go to the operator first, then TRAI; only if your money was taken by a deceptive trade practice does the consumer forum add value.

If the problem is mainly “I lost money and want it back,” remember the regulator may discipline the firm but cannot always order a refund. Run the regulator track and the consumer track in parallel.

The RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021, took effect on 12 November 2021 and covers banks, NBFCs, payment system participants and credit information companies. File on cms.rbi.org.in or call 14448. You must complain to the bank first; if there is no reply or no resolution in 30 days, escalate to the Ombudsman. RBI can direct the bank to fix the issue and award limited compensation, but it is not a court for large damages.

SCORES (scores.sebi.gov.in) handles complaints against listed companies, brokers, mutual funds and other registered intermediaries. The old scores.gov.in site closed on 28 March 2024, so use the new portal. The entity must file an Action Taken Report within 30 days, and you must lodge within one year of the cause of action. SEBI cannot decide pure contract disputes; those move to the tribunal or a civil court.

Bima Bharosa (bimabharosa.irdai.gov.in) is IRDAI's grievance system for life, health and general insurance. Register with the insurer first; escalate only if needed. The call centre is 155255 or 1800 4254 732. For a binding award on claim disputes, the next step is the Insurance Ombudsman, not IRDAI itself.

Telecom is different. TRAI does not settle individual disputes. The operator's own complaint cell and appellate authority resolve your case; TRAI runs the Telecom Consumer Complaints Monitoring System (tccms.trai.gov.in) and sets the rules. For grievances against the Department of Telecom, use CPGRAMS at pgportal.gov.in. If a regulation itself is the problem, that is a TDSAT matter.

AirSewa (airsewa.gov.in) is the Civil Aviation grievance portal. You raise a complaint, get a reference number, and the system forwards it to the airline's nodal officer with a copy to DGCA. The airline must respond; DGCA monitors but does not act as your personal claims court. For compensation beyond the airline's offer, use the consumer forum.

For company fraud, unpaid dues, refused share transfers or shell-company complaints, file an Investor Complaint Form on the MCA21 portal (mca.gov.in) and track it by SRN. MCA acts against the company under the Companies Act; it is not a recovery agent for your individual money.

NCH (consumerhelpline.gov.in, 1915 or 1800-11-4000) and its INGRAM system take any consumer grievance, forward it to the firm or regulator, and expect a reply in about 30 days. It is pre-litigation only. If the firm ignores it, the next step is a formal consumer-court case.

If the portal closes your complaint without a real fix, you still have two stronger doors.

1. Consumer forum. File a formal case before the District, State or National Consumer Commission online through e-Jagriti (e-jagriti.gov.in), which replaced the older e-Daakhil portal from 1 January 2025. This is where you claim a refund or damages with a binding order.
2. Sector tribunal. Appeal a SEBI order to the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT), set up under Section 15K of the SEBI Act, 1992. Challenge a TRAI direction at the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). Insurance claim disputes go to the Insurance Ombudsman first.

For a public authority that ignores you, an RTI application often forces the file open. If even a State or Central Information Commission order is defied, read how to file a writ petition in the High Court under Article 226.

Call the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 (or 1800-11-4000). It handles any consumer grievance and routes you to the right sector regulator. You can also register online at consumerhelpline.gov.in. For purely financial issues, the RBI helpline is 14448 and the SEBI helpline is 1800 22 7575.

RBI: cms.rbi.org.in. SEBI: scores.sebi.gov.in. IRDAI: bimabharosa.irdai.gov.in. TRAI: tccms.trai.gov.in. DGCA: airsewa.gov.in. MCA: mca.gov.in. Consumer: consumerhelpline.gov.in. Always type the address yourself; do not trust links in unsolicited messages.

Most portals expect the company to respond within 30 days. RBI requires you to wait 30 days after complaining to the bank before going to the Ombudsman. SEBI entities must file an Action Taken Report within 30 days on SCORES. NCH grievances also target a 30-day reply. If 30 days pass with no fix, escalate.

Yes, in almost every sector. RBI, SEBI and IRDAI all require you to give the bank, broker or insurer a chance first, then escalate only if there is no resolution. Keep proof of that first complaint, including the reference number, because the regulator will ask for it.

Sometimes, but do not count on it. Regulators mainly direct the firm and police the sector. RBI Ombudsman can award limited compensation. For a refund or damages, file a consumer case on e-Jagriti, or take a securities matter to the Securities Appellate Tribunal.

Escalate once the regulator closes your complaint without a real remedy, or ignores it past the deadline. Use e-Jagriti (e-jagriti.gov.in) for consumer compensation, SAT for SEBI orders, TDSAT for TRAI directions, and the Insurance Ombudsman for insurance claim disputes.

Use CPGRAMS at pgportal.gov.in for a public department, and file an RTI to force out the records. If an Information Commission order is then disobeyed, a High Court writ under Article 226 is the remedy.

• Identify your sector using the decision table above.
• Gather your account or policy number, dates, and the amount in dispute.
• File a written complaint with the company first and save the reference number.
• Set a 30-day reminder; if there is no fix, escalate to the regulator portal.
• If money is the goal, prepare a parallel consumer-court case on e-Jagriti.

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• Challenge a private school fee hike before the Fee Regulation Committee
• Get a college or exam fee refund through UGC, AICTE and the consumer forum
• File a Section 156 3 CrPC complaint when police refuse an FIR
• Senior-citizen maintenance complaint before the tribunal under the 2007 Act
• Fix municipal property-tax and water-bill errors with civic-service complaints
• File an RTI with a Gram Panchayat under Panchayati Raj
• File a second appeal before the Maharashtra State Information Commission
• Challenge a Section 8 1 e fiduciary-relationship RTI exemption
• File a High Court writ under Article 226 after a CIC or SIC order
• The RTI Playbook

• RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 and CMS portal: cms.rbi.org.in and RBI Ombudsman FAQ
• SEBI SCORES: scores.sebi.gov.in
• IRDAI Bima Bharosa: bimabharosa.irdai.gov.in
• TRAI TCCMS: tccms.trai.gov.in ; CPGRAMS: pgportal.gov.in
• DGCA AirSewa: airsewa.gov.in
• MCA complaints: mca.gov.in
• National Consumer Helpline / INGRAM: consumerhelpline.gov.in
• Consumer commission e-filing (e-Jagriti): e-jagriti.gov.in

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Newer rules you may also want to read:

• new ATM withdrawal charges from May 2025
• NBFC fixed deposit premature withdrawal rules
• Bima-ASBA UPI insurance premium payment
• your right to erase personal data
• children data and parental consent rules