Filing a Consumer Complaint Online on e-Jagriti: Step by Step

What is e-Jagriti, and what happened to e-Daakhil?

e-Jagriti is the online system of the consumer commissions, run under the Department of Consumer Affairs. From 1 January 2025 it brought together the older e-Daakhil filing portal, the NCDRC's case management system, the online case monitoring system and CONFONET, so one login now covers filing, fee payment, case status, orders and virtual hearings before the District Commissions, the State Commissions and the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC).

If you filed on e-Daakhil before 2025, your case was carried over and its status can be seen on e-Jagriti. If someone tells you to file on e-Daakhil today, they mean e-Jagriti. The portal works in several languages, sends SMS and email alerts at each stage, and allows non-resident Indians to file and follow a case from abroad.

The legal basis for online filing is in the Consumer Protection Act 2019 itself. Section 35 allows a complaint to be filed electronically, and the Consumer Protection (Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions) Rules 2020 and the Consumer Commission Procedure Regulations 2020 fill in the details of fee and procedure. An online complaint has exactly the same standing as one filed across the counter.

Can you file a consumer complaint online without a lawyer?

Yes. The Act lets a consumer appear in person, and e-Jagriti has a separate registration for complainants who file for themselves. Commissions are used to parties in person and usually explain procedure at the hearing. Many small complaints, about a phone, a washing machine, a cancelled booking or an unpaid refund, are filed and argued by the consumer.

Doing it yourself works best when the facts are simple, the documents are in your hands and the opposite party is clearly identified. It gets harder when the amount is large, when the other side is likely to raise legal objections (that you are not a consumer because the purchase was for business, that the complaint is time-barred, that an arbitration clause applies), or when you need expert evidence, as in medical or construction cases. In those cases an advocate drafts the complaint, files it through the advocate login and appears for you, and a vakalatnama is uploaded with the papers.

A middle path is common: you collect the papers and file yourself, but have an advocate read the draft complaint before filing. A complaint that is badly framed at the start is hard to repair later, because the opposite party replies to what you wrote, and amendments need the commission's permission.

Before you log in: is the complaint ready to be filed?

Check four things before you open the portal. First, that you are a consumer: you bought goods or hired a service for consideration, and not for resale or a commercial purpose (goods bought for earning your livelihood by self-employment are still covered). Second, that there is a defect in goods, a deficiency in service, an unfair trade practice or a restrictive trade practice that you can describe in plain facts. Third, that you are within two years from the date the cause of action arose under section 69; if you are late, you will need an application for condonation of delay, which we explain in our post on the two-year limit and condonation of delay. Fourth, that you know exactly whom you are complaining against, with a correct name and address.

A legal notice is not compulsory before a consumer complaint. It is still useful. A short notice giving the facts, the demand and a time to comply often produces a refund without litigation, and if it does not, the reply (or the silence) becomes part of your record. Many people also lodge a grievance with the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 or its online grievance system before filing; companies registered as convergence partners often settle there. Neither step is a condition for filing, so do not let them eat into your two years.

Which commission do you choose on the portal?

e-Jagriti asks you to pick the commission at the start, by state and district or by selecting the State Commission or the NCDRC. Two tests decide the choice. The pecuniary test looks at the value of the goods or services paid as consideration: up to ₹50 lakh goes to the District Commission, above ₹50 lakh and up to ₹2 crore to the State Commission, and above ₹2 crore to the NCDRC. We explain how that figure is worked out, and the cases where it is not obvious, in our post on which consumer commission has pecuniary jurisdiction.

The territorial test, under section 34(2) of the Act, lets you file where the opposite party lives, works or has a branch office, where the cause of action arose, or where you yourself reside or personally work for gain. That last option is the one most people use. A consumer living in Dwarka can file before the District Commission that covers Dwarka even if the company is based in Bengaluru, and a consumer in Indirapuram can file before the District Commission at Ghaziabad.

Delhi has several District Commissions, each covering one or more revenue districts. Choose the one for the district where you live or where the cause of action arose. If you pick the wrong one, the registry will usually raise it as a defect or the commission will return the complaint for filing in the right place, which costs time but not your claim.

What to prepare before you start the online filing

Keep everything ready in one folder on your computer before you begin. The portal can time out, and hunting for a document halfway through is how mistakes creep in.

How to draft the complaint so it passes scrutiny

A consumer complaint is a pleading, and it should read like one. Start with the memo of parties, then numbered paragraphs: who you are, what you bought and when, what you paid, what went wrong, what you did about it, how the opposite party responded, and why that amounts to a defect, a deficiency or an unfair trade practice. Then add separate paragraphs on jurisdiction (pecuniary and territorial), on limitation (the date the cause of action arose and why the complaint is within two years), and a statement that no other case on the same facts is pending.

The prayer is where many self-drafted complaints go wrong. Section 39 lists what a commission can order: removal of the defect, replacement, refund of the price, compensation for loss or injury, punitive damages in suitable cases, discontinuance of an unfair practice, and costs. Ask for those things, each with a figure and a basis. A prayer for ₹50 lakh as compensation for a ₹30,000 phone does not frighten anyone; it only makes the commission read the rest of the complaint with doubt.

When Advocate B.K. Singh's office prepares a consumer complaint for online filing, the paragraph that gets the most attention is the one tying each document to a fact: every annexure is referred to in the complaint at the point where it proves something, by its annexure number. A commission member reading a hundred pages on a screen should never have to guess why a document is there.

How to file a consumer complaint on e-Jagriti, step by step

The screens are updated from time to time, so the labels you see may differ slightly. The sequence stays the same.

1. Register on the portal

   Open e-Jagriti and register as a complainant (or as an advocate, with your Bar Council enrolment details). Verify your mobile number and email by OTP and set a password. Use a mobile number you will keep, because every alert about the case goes to it.

2. Start a new case

   Log in and choose the option to file a new case, selecting consumer complaint as the case type. Select the commission: the state and district for a District Commission, or the State Commission or NCDRC where the value calls for it.

3. Enter the complainant's details

   Fill in name, parentage, age, address, phone and email for each complainant. If a legal heir or an authorised person is filing, say so and keep the authority letter or proof of relationship ready to upload.

4. Enter each opposite party

   Add every opposite party separately with the full legal name and a complete address, including the registered office for companies and the local branch or dealer where relevant. Add email addresses wherever you have them, because notices increasingly go by email.

5. Fill in the case details

   Enter the value of the goods or services paid, the amount claimed, the date of the cause of action and a short summary. The fee is calculated from the value paid, so check that figure twice before moving on.

6. Upload the documents

   Upload the complaint, the affidavit, the index and the annexures in the slots provided, as searchable PDFs within the size limit the portal shows. Add any applications (condonation of delay, interim relief) as separate documents.

7. Pay the fee and submit

   Pay the fee online through the payment gateway if any fee is due; where the value paid is up to ₹5 lakh, no fee is payable. Review the preview carefully, submit, and save the acknowledgment with the filing reference number.

8. Track scrutiny and cure defects

   Watch for SMS and email alerts. If the registry raises defects, correct them through your login within the time given and resubmit. Once cleared, the case gets a number and a date for admission.

Keep a single PDF of the complete set as filed, in the same order, on your computer. You will need it at every hearing, and it is the easiest way to check what the other side has received.

What is the filing fee for a consumer complaint?

The fee depends on the value of the goods or services paid as consideration, not on the compensation you claim. The slabs below are from rule 7 of the Consumer Protection (Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions) Rules 2020 as amended; the portal calculates the exact figure when you enter the value.

Court fee is the only official charge. Notarisation of the affidavit, printing and scanning, courier for any paper sets and the advocate's fee, if you engage one, are separate. Fees can be revised by notification, so go by the figure the portal shows on the day you file.

How do you pay the fee, and what if the payment fails?

The portal connects to a payment gateway that accepts net banking, cards and UPI. Once the payment goes through, the receipt is linked to your filing automatically. Download it anyway and keep it with your acknowledgment.

If money leaves your account but the portal does not show the payment, do not pay again straight away. Note the transaction reference, take a screenshot, and wait for the gateway to reconcile, which usually happens within a working day or two. If it does not, write to the commission's registry or the e-Jagriti help desk with the reference. Paying twice creates a refund problem that takes longer to fix than the original failure.

Where the fee is nil because the value paid is ₹5 lakh or less, make sure the value field is filled correctly. A complaint showing a value above ₹5 lakh with no fee paid will come back as defective.

How should the PDFs look?

Scan documents on a scanner or a proper scanning app, not as photographs at an angle. Use black and white or greyscale for text pages, at a resolution where small print on an invoice is readable when zoomed. Make the files searchable where you can, because commission members increasingly read on screens and search within the file. Keep within the size limit the portal shows; if a file is too large, split the annexures into logical parts rather than compressing them into a blur.

Paginate the whole set continuously and make sure the index page numbers match. Mark each annexure clearly at the top (Annexure C-1, C-2 and so on, or as the commission prefers). Put the documents in the order they are referred to in the complaint. Remove blank pages, rotated pages and duplicate copies of the same email chain.

Videos and audio recordings cannot simply be dropped into a PDF. Describe them in the complaint, attach a transcript or still images, and keep the original files ready with a certificate under section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam if the other side disputes them. The commission will tell you how to produce the media itself if it is needed.

What happens after you click submit?

First comes scrutiny. The registry of the commission checks that the complaint is signed, the affidavit attested, the fee paid, the documents legible and indexed, and the commission correct. Defects are communicated through the portal and by SMS or email. You cure them in your login and resubmit. Until the defects are cleared, the case does not get a regular number.

Next comes admission. Section 36 says the commission should ordinarily decide whether to admit the complaint within 21 days of filing. It cannot reject a complaint without hearing the complainant. If it does not decide admissibility within 21 days, the complaint is treated as admitted by law. In practice, the first listing is often a short hearing where the member asks a few questions about jurisdiction, limitation and what you want, and then issues notice.

Some commissions still ask for one or more paper sets after an online filing, especially at the State Commission and the NCDRC, or ask the complainant to send a copy of the complaint to the opposite party. Read the order passed on the first date and any notice of that commission on the portal, and do what it says before the next date.

Notice to the opposite party and the 45-day limit for its reply

Once the complaint is admitted, the commission issues notice to the opposite party with a copy of the complaint, and the opposite party has 30 days to file its written version. The commission can extend that by up to 15 days, but not further. In New India Assurance Co. Ltd. v Hilli Multipurpose Cold Storage Pvt. Ltd. (2020), a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court held that consumer commissions have no power to accept a written version beyond the 45 days.

For a complainant, this matters in two ways. If the opposite party does not reply in time, the commission can proceed on the basis of your complaint and evidence, so make sure your affidavit and documents are complete from day one. And watch the dates yourself: if the reply is filed late, point it out at the next hearing rather than assuming the commission will notice.

After the written version comes your rejoinder (if allowed), evidence by way of affidavit from both sides, written arguments and final hearing. Section 38(6) provides that complaints are heard on the basis of affidavits and documentary evidence, so there is usually no oral cross-examination unless the commission directs it.

Are hearings held online, and how long does the case take?

e-Jagriti supports virtual hearings, and many District Commissions allow parties to join by video link, especially for routine dates. Whether a particular hearing is physical or virtual depends on the commission and sometimes on the member, so check the cause list and the last order. If you want to join online, ask for it in advance and test the link before the date.

The Act says a complaint should be decided within three months from notice where no testing of goods is needed and within five months where testing is needed. That is a target, not a promise. In busy District Commissions in Delhi and NCR, contested complaints often take a year or more, depending on the bench, adjournments and whether the case is referred to mediation under section 37. Simple refund disputes sometimes settle at the first or second hearing, once the company's lawyer realises the papers are in order.

If the order goes against you, or you are unhappy with the amount, the appeal lies to the State Commission within 45 days, as explained in our post on appeal against a District Consumer Commission order. If the order is in your favour but the opposite party does not comply, see our post on enforcing a consumer commission order that is not obeyed.

Mistakes that get online consumer complaints returned or delayed

• Entering the compensation as the value. The value field is for what you paid. Putting the compensation figure there can push the complaint to the wrong commission and the wrong fee.
• Naming the wrong opposite party. A brand name is not always the company's legal name. Use the name on the invoice or policy, and include the dealer or branch that actually dealt with you where it was involved.
• An unattested affidavit. The affidavit must be attested. A signature alone is not enough, and this is one of the most common defects.
• Phone photographs instead of scans. Skewed, dark or cropped images of invoices and letters are often returned. Rescan them properly.
• Figures that do not match. If the complaint says ₹62,000, the invoice says ₹61,500 and the portal says ₹65,000, expect questions. Explain any difference (installation, tax, discount) in the complaint.
• No limitation paragraph. Even when you are well within two years, say when the cause of action arose and why the complaint is in time. Where you are late, file the delay application with the complaint, not after an objection.
• Ignoring the alerts. Defects come with a time to cure them. Missing that window means refiling and, sometimes, a fresh limitation problem.
• Filing duplicate complaints. If a complaint on the same facts is already pending, or was filed and withdrawn without liberty, a second one invites dismissal. Disclose any earlier proceeding.

Delay, interim relief and other applications filed online

Applications are uploaded with the complaint or later through your login against the case number. The common ones are an application for condonation of delay (with an affidavit explaining each period of delay), an application for interim relief under section 38(8) (for example, to stop the opposite party from cancelling a booking or encashing a cheque while the case is pending), and an application to permit a party to appear through an authorised representative.

An interim relief application needs urgency and a clear prima facie case, and it should be argued at the admission hearing. Commissions grant interim orders sparingly, so ask only for what you truly need to keep the dispute alive, not the final relief in another form.

What to do this week if you plan to file online

• Work out the date the cause of action arose and count two years from it
• Collect the invoice, payment proof and every complaint number in one folder
• Find the correct legal name and registered address of each opposite party
• Send a short legal notice with a 15-day deadline if you have not already
• Note the value of goods or services paid and check which commission it falls in
• Draft the complaint with jurisdiction, limitation and a specific prayer
• Get the affidavit attested and scan everything as clean, paginated PDFs
• Register on e-Jagriti with a mobile number you will keep for the whole case

When it makes sense to have an advocate file for you

Bring in an advocate when the amount is significant, when you expect the opposite party to argue you are not a consumer or that you are out of time, when the case needs expert evidence, or when the opposite party is an insurer or builder with a standing panel of lawyers. Insurance repudiations in particular turn on policy wording; our post on what to do when an insurance claim is rejected explains when the Ombudsman is the better first step. Online refund disputes have their own pattern, covered in our post on complaints against e-commerce platforms.

In our office, the first read of a consumer file is usually done by Advocate Sadhna Singh, who checks the dates, the value and the documents before anything is drafted. A point Advocate B.K. Singh often makes to clients is that the complaint should be written for the member who will hear the final arguments a year later, not for the registry clerk who scrutinises it next week.

If you want an advocate to look at your papers before you file, the team at B.K. Singh & Associates can read them and tell you which commission, what deadline and what is missing. You can send the details through our online legal enquiry form, and our page on consumer court matters in Delhi explains how we handle cases before the District Commissions, the Delhi State Commission and the NCDRC.