CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL FORUM (S/W)
GOVT. OF N.C.T OF DELHI
LOCAL SHOPPING COMPLEX, SHEIKH SARAI, NEW DELHI-110017
NO.DF-VII/375/2015/ Dated :10/07/2015
In the matter of :
Shri Vinay Kumar Sharma
Son of Shri P.R. Sharma,
R/o House No. 321/20, 2nd Floor,
Tuglakabad Extn., Street No. 20,
New Delhi-110019. ….Complainant
Versus
Vodafone Mobile Services Limited,
Through its authorized representative
Having its Registered Office at
C-48, Okhla Industrial Area,
Phase-II,
New Delhi-110020. ….Opposite Party
(S.K. SARVARIA, PRESIDENT)
O R D E R
This, complaint is filed by the complainant U/s 12 of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (in short Act) regarding deficiency-in-service. The Complainant is a subscriber of Vodafone Mobile Services and was / is having a Vodafone mobile connection No. 9999607650 and is availing the services since more than a decade and was very much regular in making the payments and was / is never got defaulted in making the payments. On 17.5.15, the handset of the Complainant got hanged and did not switch on the incoming call. In this connection, the complainant has prayed the O.P. to immediately activate the mobile phone and also waive off the charges. Complainant also prayed for payment of Rs.5,00,000/– as compensation to the Complainant for the mental agony and harassment caused to the Complainant in the due course.
We have heard the Learned Counsel for the Complainant , and have gone through the relevant provisions of law.
In General Manager, Telecom v. M. Krishnan , : 2009(4) R.C.R.(Civil) 8 : 2009(5) Recent Apex Judgments (R.A.J.) 500 : 2009(8) SCC 481 : 2010 AIR (SC) 90 relied upon by learned counsel for the OP the Hon’ble Supreme Court has held:
"6-7. In our opinion when there is a special remedy provided in Section 7-B of the Indian Telegraph Act regarding disputes in respect of telephone bills, then the remedy under the Consumer Protection Act is by implication barred. Section 7-B of the Telegraph Act reads as under :-
"S. 7B Arbitration of Disputes :-
(1) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Act, if any dispute concerning any telegraph line, appliance or apparatus arises between the telegraph authority and the person or whose benefit the line, appliance or apparatus is, or has been provided, the dispute shall be determined by arbitration and shall, for the purpose of such determination, be referred to an arbitrator appointed by the Central Government either specifically for the determination of that dispute or generally for the determination of disputes under this Section.
(2) The award of the arbitrator appointed under sub-section (1) shall be conclusive between the parties to the dispute and shall not be questioned in any Court."
Rule 413 of the Telegraph Rules provides that all services relating to telephone are subject to Telegraph Rules. A telephone connection can be disconnected by the Telegraph Authority for default of payment under Rule 443 of the Rules.
8. It is well settled that the special law overrides the general law. Hence, in our opinion the High Court was not correct in its approach.
9. In Chairman, Thiruvalluvar Transport Corporation v. Consumer Protection Council, (1995)2 SCC 479 it was held that the National Commission has no jurisdiction to adjudicate upon claims for compensation arising out of motor vehicles accidents. We agree with the view taken in the aforesaid judgment."
Section 4 of the Act gives exclusive privileged to the Central government in respect of Telegraphs, the power to grant licences within India. Section 3 (1AA) defines, in short, the word "Telegraph" as given below:
“ telegraph” means any appliance, instrument, material or apparatus used or capable of use for transmission or reception of signs, signals, writing, images, and sounds or intelligence of any nature by wire, visual or other electro-magnetic emissions, Radio waves or Hertzian waves, galvanic, electric or magnetic means”.
The complaint is made in respect of the device which comes within the definition of Telegraph stated before.
The term "Telegraph Authority" as defined in Section 3 (6) mean the Director-General of Posts and Telegraphs, and includes any officer empowered by him to perform all or any of the functions of the Telegraph authority under this Act. Therefore, the word "Telegraph authority" includes the officers empowered by Director-General of post and Telegraph also. The "Telegraph officer" is defined in Section 3 (2) of the Act, and includes the person employed temporarily or permanently in connection with Telegraph established, maintained or worked by the Central government or by a person licensed under this Act. Therefore, by virtue of this definition of Telegraph officer a person employed permanently or temporarily with licensed person under the Act is also a Telegraph officer. So, by implication, the licensed service providers like the OP would come within the definition of "Telegraph authority" and the provisions of Section 7B of the Act are applicable between the disputes of said service provider and the person claiming deficiency in service against him, with regard to Telegraph lines or Telegraph, dues, etc.
M. Krishnan's case was followed in another case of the OP company titled Jayaprakash, Panjeta versus Vodafone ESSAR South Ltd and another in the Revision Petition number 2365/2011 decided by Hon’ble National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission on 30/4/2014 and it was held that the judgement of Hon’ble Supreme Court was binding and the Revision Petition filed against the OP company was dismissed. In Lokesh Parashar versus M/S, Idea CellularLtd the Revision Petition number 3780 of 2011 decided by National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhi on 20/4/2012, the Hon’ble National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, while dismissing the revision petition following M. Krishnan's case (supra) has also indicated that in another case of Parkash Verma versus Idea cellular Ltd and another the Revision Petition number 1703 of 2010 was dismissed by it on 21/5/2010 and the Special Leave Petition filed by the petitioner before the Apex Court was dismissed on 1/10/2010 by Hon’ble Supreme Court. Therefore, M. Krishnan's case (supra), is consistently being followed by Hon’ble National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and we are bound to obey the directions and the observations in these cases and are compelled to hold that the present complaint is hit by Section 7B of the Act and we hold that the present complaint is not maintainable.
In view of the above, the complaint filed by the complainant against the OP is dismissed for want of jurisdiction of this Forum.
· One true copy each of this order be sent to the concerned parties by registered post.
Order Pronounced on
(S.S. SIDHU) (HARSHALI KAUR) (S.K.SARVARIA)
MEMBER MEMBER PRESIDENT
