Short answer: two years from the date the cause of action arose. That is the rule in section 69 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and a consumer commission will not admit a complaint filed after it. The escape hatch is in the very next sub-section: a commission may admit a late complaint if the complainant satisfies it that there was sufficient cause for the delay, and records its reasons for condoning it. So the deadline is hard, but it is not absolute — and the burden of explaining is entirely yours.
General consumer information, not legal advice. Limitation questions turn on facts; if the date is close, file first and argue later.
What the law says, in full
Section 69 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 is short enough to read whole:
- 69(1) — A District Commission, the State Commission or the National Commission shall not admit a complaint unless it is filed within two years from the date on which the cause of action has arisen.
- 69(2) — Notwithstanding that, a complaint may be entertained after two years if the complainant satisfies the Commission that he had sufficient cause for not filing within that period, provided that no such complaint shall be entertained unless the Commission records its reasons for condoning the delay.
Two practical readings follow. First, limitation here is not something the other side has to plead — the commission is directed not to admit a stale complaint, so it is examined at the threshold. Second, condonation is discretionary and reasoned. “I was busy” is not sufficient cause. Hospitalisation, a genuine disability, being misled by the company’s own assurances that it was processing your refund, or time consumed in a parallel forum, all can be.
The hard part: when did the cause of action arise?
The two-year clock does not start on the day you paid. It starts when the cause of action arose — that is, when the wrong you are complaining about actually crystallised. Getting this date right is most of the work.
| Situation | Cause of action usually arises on |
|---|---|
| Goods never delivered | The date delivery was promised and failed, or the date the seller finally refused. |
| Defective goods delivered | The date the defect was discovered, or the date repair or replacement was refused. |
| Refund promised and not paid | The date the promised refund window expired. |
| Service deficiency with a definite end | The date the service was rendered badly or abandoned. |
| Continuing deficiency — a service that stays broken | Each day the deficiency continues can give a fresh cause of action; this is argued, not assumed. |
| Insurance claim repudiated | The date of the repudiation letter, not the date of the loss. |
| Builder fails to hand over possession | Commonly treated as continuing until possession or a formal refusal; heavily litigated. |
A rule of thumb that keeps people out of trouble: identify the last clear, dated refusal in writing. That date is defensible, provable and usually the latest one you can honestly claim.
What resets, extends or does not extend the clock
- A company’s continued assurances. If the seller kept telling you the refund was “under process”, that correspondence matters. It can support both a later cause-of-action date and an application for condonation. Keep those emails.
- Time spent before the National Consumer Helpline. Complaining on 1915 or on the INGRAM system does not stop limitation running. It is useful evidence of your efforts, not an extension.
- Time spent in the wrong forum in good faith. Pursuing the matter bona fide before a forum that turned out to have no jurisdiction is a classic ground for condonation.
- A legal notice. Sending one does not pause the clock. It does prove you were pursuing the claim.
- Partial refunds or repairs. A part performance followed by a fresh failure often gives a fresh, later cause of action. Document each round separately.
If you are already late: how to file anyway
You file the complaint together with an application for condonation of delay. Do not file the complaint alone and hope nobody notices — the registry will notice.
- State the exact delay. “The cause of action arose on 3 March 2024. The present complaint is filed on 11 September 2026, a delay of approximately six months beyond the prescribed two years.” Precision reads as candour.
- Explain the whole period, not just part of it. Commissions dismiss condonation applications that account for two months of a six-month delay.
- Attach proof. Medical records, the correspondence in which the company kept promising resolution, the order of the forum that returned your case.
- Support it by affidavit. The application is sworn like the complaint.
- Ask for it in the prayer. A separate, clearly worded prayer to condone the delay of N days.
Condonation is decided before the merits. If it fails, the complaint goes no further, so this application deserves as much care as the complaint itself.
Other clocks that run in a consumer dispute
Limitation for filing is only one of several deadlines. These are the ones that catch people out:
| Clock | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Filing a consumer complaint | 2 years from cause of action | Section 69, CP Act 2019 |
| Opposite party's written version after notice | 30 days, extendable by up to 15 more | Section 38, CP Act 2019 |
| Appeal from District to State Commission | 45 days from the order | Section 41, CP Act 2019 |
| Appeal from State (original) to National Commission | 30 days | Section 51, CP Act 2019 |
| E-commerce grievance officer: acknowledge your complaint | 48 hours | Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 |
| E-commerce grievance officer: redress your complaint | 1 month from receipt | Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 |
| Reporting an unauthorised electronic bank transaction for zero liability | 3 working days from the bank's communication | RBI limited-liability framework |
| Escalating a bank grievance to the RBI Ombudsman | After 30 days of no reply, within 1 year | RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme |
Notice how much shorter the practical clocks are than the two-year one. The bank clock is measured in days. If money left your account without your authorisation, the consumer forum is not where the urgency lies.
A sensible timeline for an ordinary dispute
- Day 0–2: raise the complaint with the seller in writing, in the app or by email. Get a ticket number.
- Day 3: escalate to the grievance officer whose name and email the platform is required to publish. Note the 48-hour acknowledgement obligation.
- Day 30: if the one-month redressal window has passed, register with the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 or through its portal. Cheap, fast, and often enough.
- Day 45–60: send a legal notice giving a fixed period to comply. Optional, but it concentrates minds and it is good evidence.
- Day 75 onwards: file on e-Daakhil. You are still well inside two years, with a clean, dated record of every step.
The people who lose on limitation are almost never the ones who acted in the first month and then waited. They are the ones who kept re-opening the same support ticket for three years.
Frequently asked questions
What is the time limit to file a consumer complaint in India?
Two years from the date on which the cause of action arose, under section 69(1) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. A commission is directed not to admit a complaint filed after that period unless the delay is condoned.
Can I file a consumer complaint after two years?
Only if the commission condones the delay. Section 69(2) allows a late complaint to be entertained where the complainant satisfies the commission that there was sufficient cause for not filing in time, and the commission records its reasons. File the complaint together with a properly evidenced application for condonation of delay.
When does the two-year period start?
From when the cause of action arose — not from the date of purchase. In practice that is usually the date of a clear, dated refusal: delivery failed, repair refused, refund declined, claim repudiated. Where a deficiency genuinely continues, a continuing cause of action may be argued.
Does complaining to the National Consumer Helpline stop the clock?
No. Registering on 1915 or the national helpline portal does not extend limitation. It is valuable evidence that you pursued the matter, which helps if you later need the delay condoned, but the two-year period keeps running.
How long does the company get to reply once I file?
Thirty days from receipt of notice to file its written version, which a commission may extend by up to fifteen further days. Failure to file in time can result in the case proceeding without their version.
What is the deadline to appeal a consumer commission order?
Forty-five days from a District Commission order to the State Commission, and thirty days from a State Commission order passed in original jurisdiction to the National Commission. Delay may be condoned for sufficient cause, and a party who has been ordered to pay must deposit fifty per cent of the amount before its appeal is entertained.
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