Abstract
With the rising number of consumer disputes and the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act of 2019 there has been issues raised with regard to the various methods that can be adopted for the resolution of such disputes. Instead of relying on Consumer Courts, other method of dispute resolution like mediation, arbitration or other out of court settlement methods can be adopted. Mediation is one such method mentioned in the 2019 legislation. But the issue that persist is why arbitration as a method of dispute resolution has not been adopted? Also, whether arbitrability of consumer courts can be a viable option for the resolution of consumer disputes? To answer these questions the paper firstly, discusses the method of mediation as a dispute resolution mechanism. Secondly, it analyses various recent Supreme Court judgments to determine the arbitrability of consumer disputes. Thirdly, for better understanding a comparative approach has been adopted to understand the prospects and challenges for India concerning the issue of arbitrability of consumer disputes.
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