law: Consumer Protection Act, 1986 
  23. Procedure on Receipt of Complaint
  
  (1) The District Forum shall, on receipt of a
  
  complaint, if it relates to any goods, -
  (a) refer a copy of
  
  the complaint to the opposite party mentioned in the complaint directing him to
  
  give his version of the case within a period of thirty days or such extended
  
  period not exceeding fifteen days as may be granted by the District Forum;
  (b) where the opposite
  
  party on receipt of a complaint referred to him under clause (a) denies or
  
  disputes the allegations contained in the complaint, or omits or fails to take
  
  any action to represent his case within the time given by the District Forum,
  
  the District Forum shall proceed to settle the consumer dispute in the manner
  
  specified in clauses (c) to (g);
  (c) where the
  
  complaint alleges a defect in the goods which cannot be determined without
  
  proper analysis or test of the goods, the District Forum shall obtain a sample
  
  of the goods from the complainant, seal it and authenticate it in the manner
  
  prescribed and refer the sample so sealed to the appropriate laboratory along
  
  with a direction that such laboratory make an analysis or test whichever may be
  
  necessary, with a view to finding out whether such goods suffer from any defect
  
  alleged in the complaint or from any other defect and to report its findings
  
  thereon to the District Forum within a period of forty-five days of the receipt
  
  of the reference or within such extended period as may be granted by the
  
  District Forum;
  (d) before any sample
  
  of the goods is referred to any appropriate laboratory under clause (c), the
  
  District Forum may require the complainant to deposit to the credit of the
  
  Forum such fees as may be specified, for payment to the appropriate laboratory
  
  for carrying out the necessary analysis or test in relation to the goods in
  
  question;
  (e) the District Forum
  
  shall remit the amount deposited to its credit under clause (d) to the
  
  appropriate laboratory to enable it to carry out the analysis or test mentioned
  
  in clause (c) and on receipt of the report from the appropriate laboratory, the
  
  District Forum shall forward a copy of the report along with such remarks as
  
  the District Forum may feel appropriate to the opposite party;
  (f) if any of the
  
  parties disputes the correctness of the findings of the appropriate laboratory,
  
  or disputes the correctness of the methods of analysis or test adopted by the
  
  appropriate laboratory, the District Forum shall require the opposite party or
  
  the complainant to submit in writing his objections in regard to the report
  
  made by the appropriate laboratory;
  (g) the District Forum
  
  shall thereafter give a reasonable opportunity to the complainant as well as
  
  the opposite party of being heard as to the correctness or otherwise of the
  
  report made by the appropriate laboratory and also as to the objection made in
  
  relation thereto under clause (f) and issue an appropriate order under section
  
  14.
  (2) The District Forum shall, if the complaint
  
  received by it under section 12 relates to goods in respect of which the
  
  procedure specified in sub-section (1) cannot be followed, or if the complaint
  
  relates to any services, -
  (a) refer a copy of
  
  such complaint to the opposite party directing him to give his version of the
  
  case within a period of thirty days or such extended period not exceeding
  
  fifteen days as may be granted by the District Forum;
  (b) where the opposite party, on receipt of a copy of the complaint, referred
  
  to him under clause (a) denies or disputes the allegations contained in the
  
  complaint, or omits or fails to take any action to represent his case within
  
  the time given by the District Forum, the District Forum shall proceed to
  
  settle the consumer dispute, -
  ( i )
  
  on the basis of evidence brought to its notice by the complainant and the
  
  opposite party, where the opposite party denies or disputes the allegations
  
  contained in the complaint, or
  (ii) on the basis of
  
  evidence brought to its notice by the complainant where the opposite party
  
  omits or falls to take any action to represent his case within the time given
  
  by the Forum.
  (3) No proceedings complying with the
  
  procedure laid down in sub-sections (1) and (2) shall be called in question in
  
  any court on the ground that the principles of natural justice have not been
  
  complied with.
  (4) For purposes of this section, the District 
  
  Forum shall have the same powers as are vested in a civil court under the Code 
  
  of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), while trying a suit in respect of the 
  
  following matters, namely :
  ( i )
  
  the summoning and enforcing attendance of any defendant or witness and
  
  examining the witness on oath;
  (ii) the discovery and
  
  production of any document or other material object producible as evidence;
  (iii) the reception of
  
  evidence on affidavits;
  (iv) the
  
  requisitioning of the report of the concerned analysis or test from the
  
  appropriate laboratory or from any other relevant source;
  (v) issuing of any
  
  commission for the examination of any witness; and
  (vi) any other matter
  
  which may be prescribed.
  (5) Every proceeding before the District Forum
  
  shall be deemed to be a judicial proceeding within the meaning