e-Daakhil is the online filing facility through which a consumer complaint, appeal or revision can be filed before the consumer commissions under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 without first standing in a queue at the filing counter. You register an account on the portal, choose the commission and the type of proceeding, upload the complaint with its annexures, and pay the prescribed fee online. The portal is a filing window only: the case is still heard and decided by the commission in the ordinary way, and a defective filing is cured before the same commission, not on the portal.
Who this applies to
The facility is open to a consumer filing a complaint, to an opposite party filing a reply or a version, and to a party filing a first appeal, a revision or a transfer application. A person who finds the online process difficult, and in particular a senior citizen or a person with a disability, may seek the assistance the commission provides at its filing counter. Before you start, settle two things on paper: which commission has jurisdiction over the value of your claim, and which reliefs you are asking for. A ready consumer complaint format avoids most filing defects.
Step by step online filing
- Create an account. Register with a mobile number and an email address and verify with the one-time password. Use the number you will keep for the whole case, because every notice and status update comes to it.
- Select the forum and the proceeding. Choose the District, State or National Commission that matches your claim value, and choose complaint, appeal, revision or transfer as the case may be.
- Enter the cause title. The complainant, the opposite parties, and their addresses must be written exactly as they will appear in the paper set.
- State the claim value and the fee. Give the value of the goods or services and the compensation claimed, because the fee follows from it.
- Upload the complaint and annexures. The complaint goes in as a PDF, and each annexure is uploaded separately and numbered so it matches the index.
- Pay the fee online. The portal routes you to the payment step and records the receipt against your filing.
- Submit and note the reference. Save the generated case or diary number and the acknowledgement; you will use them to track the matter.
Fields that must match the paper complaint
The portal and the paper set must tell the same story, or the commission will raise a defect. Check that the following agree:
- the names and full addresses of all parties, spelled identically;
- the claim value and the compensation figures across the complaint, the affidavit and the fee;
- the total number of pages and annexures against the index;
- the relief clause, worded exactly as in the uploaded complaint;
- the jurisdiction paragraph, explaining why this commission hears the matter.
If you later amend the complaint, amend the portal entry too, so the two never drift apart.
Fee and payment
The fee is the one prescribed for the value of the claim, and the commission's counter or the portal notice states the current slab. Pay through the online gateway and keep the receipt with the case file. Do not pay in cash or to any private account; the only valid payment is the one that generates a portal receipt. If a fee concession applies to you, attach the document that establishes it at the filing stage itself.
Curing a defective complaint
A filing is often returned for a curable defect - an unsigned affidavit, a missing annexure, a fee that does not match the claim, or an illegible scan. When this happens the commission gives a date by which you must cure it. Upload the corrected document, keep proof of the re-upload, and do not let the deadline pass, because a defect left uncured can lead to rejection. Track the defect notice through the portal so you see it before the date.
Service, hearing, mediation and tracking
After admission, the commission directs notice to the opposite party. Service is through the commission, and the opposite party then files its version and evidence. The matter is listed for hearing, and the parties file written arguments, often with a synopsis and a list of dates. Where the commission refers the dispute to mediation, the parties attend the mediation cell; a settlement reached there is recorded and disposes of the case. You can track the stage of your case through the portal account, which shows the next date and the orders uploaded against your reference. Keep the acknowledgement, the defect notices and every order in one file, and read our blog notes on procedure while the case runs.
Common questions
Can I file online and also give a paper set?
Yes. The online filing is the entry point; the commission will still expect the paper set to match what you uploaded, and the hearing proceeds on the physical record. Upload first, then file the paper set as the commission directs, so the two are identical.
What if I choose the wrong commission on the portal?
Choosing the wrong forum is a defect that the commission can correct, but it costs time. Check the pecuniary tier and the territorial rule before you pick, because the value of the claim decides whether the District or the State Commission hears it.
How do I know my filing was accepted?
The portal records each step and issues a reference. After scrutiny, the commission either admits the complaint and issues notice, or returns it for a defect. Log in regularly, read the order uploaded against your reference, and act on any defect notice within the time given.
Is a lawyer required to file online?
The portal does not require a lawyer to open an account, but a consumer complaint is a pleading that must be drafted and indexed correctly. Having the complaint and affidavit drafted before you start the upload avoids the common defects and saves a re-filing. Contact us to have the complaint drafted and filed.
FileX Advocates & Legal Consultants, Kolkata, drafts and files these matters before the Calcutta High Court, City Civil and Sessions courts, magistrate, family, consumer and tribunal forums. Call +91 7439811422 or WhatsApp us for a free first consultation.