Mrs. Mathur sent her servant to the Chemist for purchasing medicine which she found was expired. On approaching the chemist, he accepted that medicine has expired.
Which right has been exercised by Mrs. Mathur?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Right to be Heard
Option (1) Right to be Heard — Correct. Under the right to be heard, a consumer who is not satisfied with a product can complain, and the complaint must be heard. Mrs. Mathur found that the medicine had expired and took her complaint to the chemist. The chemist listened and accepted the fault. So her complaint was heard.
Option (2) Right to Seek Redressal — Incorrect. Redressal means getting relief: a replacement, a refund of the price, or compensation. The chemist only admitted the fault. Nothing shows that Mrs. Mathur received any relief, so this right has not yet been used.
Option (3) Right to be Assured — Incorrect. This is the consumer’s freedom to get a variety of products at competitive prices and to choose from among them. Mrs. Mathur’s problem was an expired product, not a lack of choice.
Option (4) Right to Consumer Education — Incorrect. This is the right to gain the knowledge and skills needed to be an informed consumer. Nothing in the question is about learning or awareness.
Note 1: In the original question, both Option (1) and Option (3) were correct as per the NTA Answer Key. The paper printed Option (1) as Right to be Heard and Option (3) as Right to be Informed. For the benefit of students and to ensure a single answer, Option (3) has been changed to Right to be Assured. Note 2: NCERT lists six consumer rights. The pre-rationalised book followed the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The 2023-24 book and the current NCERT book (2026-27) follow the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The only change between them is the name of the third right: the Right to Choose is now called the Right to be Assured. Both the 2023-24 and 2026-27 books still use the old name “Right to choose” in their chapter summaries.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Right to be heard: The consumer has a right to file a complaint and to be heard in case of dissatisfaction with a good or a service. It is because of this reason that many enlightened business firms have set up their own consumer service and grievance cells. …” “Right to seek redressal: The consumer has a right to get relief against unfair trade practice of restrictive trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation in case the product or a service falls short of his expectations. …” “Right to be assured: The consumer has the freedom to access variety of products at competitive prices. …” |