In Brief
Three consumer protection cases heard together clarify standing and complaint procedures. In the first, the Supreme Court held that a condominium body formed under mandatory statutory provisions (Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972) cannot be a 'recognised consumer association' under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, because such bodies lack the voluntary character required. However, in cases two and three, the Court allowed registered welfare societies and individual consumers to file composite complaints on behalf of multiple consumers with common grievances, as statutory provisions do not restrict associations to single-consumer complaints and such joinder serves the protective purpose of consumer law."
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