New Delhi, Dec 14 (PTI) A district consumer forum has refused to adjudicate a complaint of over billing against a telecom major, saying the Supreme Court has barred all consumer forums from entertaining disputes between subscribers and telecom firms. The Central Delhi District Consumer Forum refused to entertain Ghaziabad resident Anup Khajuria's complaint of over billing of his mobile phone by his service provide Vodafone saying a recent apex court ruling mandates resolution of all such disputes only through arbitration. "In view of the law of the land, the present complaint against the cellular mobile phone company for issuance of excessive bill or other deficiency in service cannot be entertained," said the forum, headed by its President B B Chaudhary Hence, while refusing to admit the complaint for hearing. It said the Supreme Court, in a case, had held that "any dispute between a subscriber and the telecom authority could be resolved only through arbitration. The jurisdiction of consumer fora has been debarred." "The controversy that judgement of the Supreme Court, passed in the case G M Telecom V/s M Krishnan is applicable to the landline phone and not to other cellular phone, has come to an end and the law, now, stands settled that consumer fora has no jurisdiction to entertain any complaint qua the mobile cellular telephone also," the forum said. Khajuria had complained against Vodafone Essar for "wrongly" raising a "hefty" bill of Rs 4498.
