From Tribal Advocacy to Digital Defenders: Consumer Rights Organisation's Fight for Indian Consumers

In an era where consumer exploitation continues despite protective legislation, the Consumer Rights Organisation (CRO) stands as a beacon of hope for millions of Indians. Founded in 2010, this voluntary organisation has grown from addressing food adulteration issues in tribal Madhya Pradesh to becoming a comprehensive platform fighting for consumer rights across multiple sectors. According to 2022 data from the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, there are over 5.50 lakh pending consumer cases in the country, which includes 4,029 pending cases filed before the year 2000, with the average resolution time stretching far beyond the mandated 4 to 6 month period. Against this backdrop, organisations like CRO have become crucial intermediaries, especially for marginalised consumers who find the formal redressal system intimidating or inaccessible.

It All Began with the Thought “Consumer is a King Without a Crown”

The story of CRO begins in the tribal regions of Madhya Pradesh, where consumer vulnerability was particularly acute. Naveen Sharma, National President and Co-founder of Consumer Rights Organisation recalls the conditions that sparked the organisation's formation: "We have so many quotations related to consumers—that consumer is our king and consumer is the God—but at that time in 2010, we failed to live up to these quotations," says Naveen. The consumer was a king but without the crown. We started with food adulteration as the main problem, but then we spread across other issues."

The vision that drove CRO was threefold: to empower consumers by enforcing rights, to organise and educate them, and to ensure their protection. What began as a focused campaign against food adulteration has evolved significantly over the past 15 years.

From Food Safety to Digital Rights

As consumer markets transformed with technology, so did the challenges facing Indian consumers. CRO adapted by expanding its focus to address emerging concerns, particularly in the digital space. Aditya Sinha, Advisor at CRO, highlights one of their current areas of focus: "Currently the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is focusing largely on digital dark patterns—how the behaviour of the consumer on any online medium is influenced by cognitive biases. Cognitive biases are something which we are all born with, and companies exploit this to influence your decision."

Adding to it, Aditya mentions, “In accordance with the guidelines that the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has published, this creates a sense of false urgency. It is also something that the ministry calls 'confirm shaming.' We identify such practices and bring them to the attention of the ministry, then take the appropriate action. This vigilance extends beyond just identifying problems. "If anything is not in place, then we are the medium that fights for rights," he emphasises.

A distinguishing feature of CRO is its commitment to helping consumers regardless of their economic status. "There are a lot of issues that are at a smaller level when an individual faces them, but it becomes a problem of a higher level at a larger scale if it happens with many people in different geographies across India," Sharma points out. CRO stands for people with a marginalised income group to a person with a high-income group. The amount of the problem or issue faced doesn't matter—they just want to ensure that the consumer is getting a fair valuation of the goods or services for the price they are paying. This comprehensive approach includes not just fighting for consumer rights but also actively participating in policy formation to prevent issues before they arise.

Under the Consumer Protection Act, the Consumer Commission Court has a three-tier structure: district, state, and national. Similarly, the CRO operates through a three-tier activity model: consumer awareness, consumer protection, and consumer education. One critical gap the CRO addresses is consumers' reluctance to pursue legal action for smaller monetary issues.

"The problem with consumers is that they are hesitant to go to court for a smaller issue—for example, if the case value is between 50 to 1000 rupees. They don't want to get into the hassle of going to the court again and again," explains the President. “There is also a loophole in the system—technically, a consumer court has to resolve any issue within 4 to 6 months of the complaint according to the act, which doesn't happen in many cases."

CRO comes into the picture at such times when they act on behalf of the complainant. CROs listen to both parties to understand the whole story, and if the consumer's appeal is right, they issue a notice to the party who has committed the fraud. Sometimes, the CRO also goes into the litigation part from the consumer's end. While the process of applying for consumer redressal is designed to be simple, reality often differs. "When the opposite party is highly influential, the consumer gets afraid and withdraws the complaint, so this is also an issue," says Sharma.

Challenges in a Digital Marketplace

With the market's shift from physical to digital spaces, new challenges have emerged. CRO reports that online shopping platforms generate the highest number of complaints. Naveen Sharma acknowledges that responsibility lies on both sides: "Being fair as an organisation, there are challenges from the consumer's side as well. Only awareness is not the case—consumers need to be educated and know when to exercise their rights and complain if there is any fraud or malpractice happening with them." The proliferation of fake companies on social media has created what Sharma describes as "a very big web where customers are cheated."

What are the Solutions?

According to CRO, solutions must come from multiple directions. Consumers need to be proactive, understanding not just their rights but also their responsibilities. The organisation emphasises the importance of consumers being aware of their six fundamental rights under the law.

On the business side, CRO advocates for a return to demand-based production. "Companies should know the needs of customers and then produce so that hoarding or any cheating does not happen," Naveen suggests. "Now the economy has reversed—first the products are produced and then marketed on a large scale to sell to consumers, which was not true before. This shift has led to aggressive marketing tactics. "When companies adopt to make products first, they market in such a way that the customer is forced to buy the product even if it is not needed."

CRO's Consumer Complaint Redressal Process

To ensure that any of these practices are not faced by the consumers or even if they face one, there should be a platform which stands for them in all the ways possible. CRO has streamlined the complaint process to make it accessible to all consumers. "If a consumer faces any issue, they need to go to our official website thecro.org where there is a dedicated Consumer Complaint Cell (CCC)," explains Aditya. "The consumer needs to fill in the basic details of the geography and describe what the fraud is about. CRO will get back to them within 72 hours with a response from either our side or the party's side for whom the complaint is made."

Privacy is maintained by initially collecting only the nature of the complaint and geography. "The evidence part comes into play only after the complaint is filed and permission is obtained from the party that has filed the complaint," Aditya adds.

CRO's Future Initiatives

As CRO approaches its 15th foundation day on April 7, 2025, the organisation is preparing to launch several innovative initiatives:

Consumer Right Journal: A monthly publication that will analyse one major nationwide consumer issue per month, examining it from all angles—including its history, dimension, industry perspective, bureaucratic viewpoint, and CRO's own critique and solutions.

Informed Consumers of India: A consumer-to-consumer recommendation platform that will help first-time visitors or new consumers find the best food, accommodation, and services in any city, based on recommendations from local consumers.

Consumer Parliament: A grassroots initiative that will involve youth leaders present in every district and institution—including college professors, students, and scholars—who will gather insights from stakeholders and submit them to the government to inform policy-making.

Consumer Satisfaction Index: An annual compilation of CRO surveys that will be submitted to the government, assessing services, goods, policy presence, and ease of access from the perspective of government and policy makers.

Through these initiatives and its ongoing advocacy work, CRO continues to evolve in its mission to ensure that Indian consumers are not just kings in name but truly empowered citizens with functioning crowns.