SC issues notice to Centre, states over PIL for making disclosure of sellers' details mandatory

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre and states on a plea contending every consumer has a ‘right to know' not only about the products but also about details of the distributer, dealer, trader, seller and shop owner, so as to seek redressal his grievance under Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta sought a response from the Union and state governments on a PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.

The petitioner sought a direction to the Centre and States to ensure that every distributor, dealer, trader, seller and shop owner display details of registration including name, address, phone number and number of employees at the entry gate in bold letters on a display board visible to a person of an ordinary prudence in spirit of Sections 2(6), 2(9), 2(10) and 2(11) of the Consumer Protection Act 2019.

The petitioner contended the cause of action to file the instant plea accrued on July 9, 2025, when on the occasion of Guru Purnima, he was going to Haridwar and found many motels, restaurants and eateries on the Delhi-Haridwar Highway, were not displaying their registration, owners name, address and contact number.

He claimed, this was happening pan India.

The plea stated access to seller details empowered consumers to assess the legitimacy of sellers, hold them accountable in case of issues, and seek redressal for grievances effectively.

"Each consumer has right to be informed about quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard, and price of goods and services to protect him against unfair trade practices, restrictive trade practices and unscrupulous exploitation," it said.

The plea further stated every consumer should be able to identify and contact the distributer, dealer, trader, seller and shop owner in case of any defect under Section 2(10) of the Consumer Protection Act, which included access to information like seller's real name, address, and phone number.

"The right to know empowers consumers to be informed, protected and to make choices when engaging in sale, purchase and money transactions," the plea said.

It further stated the right to know helps consumers avoid falling prey to fraudulent or deceptive distributer, dealer, trader, seller and shop owner, who might misrepresent product and services or disappear after sale, purchase and money transaction.

"If a consumer has an issue with a product or service, knowing the distributer, dealer, trader, seller and shop owner details is essential for filing complaint under Section 2(6) and seeking redressal through consumer redressal forums," the plea said.