India, Aug. 14 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday took serious note of the pendency of cases in the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC) and asked the Centre to consider setting up regional and circuit benches to clear the backlog.

The top court also called for performance audits of state and district consumer commissions. The forums should not become rehabilitation centres for retired judicial officers, it said.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked the Centre to consider setting up regional and circuit benches of the national consumer forum, saying a consumer must not be made to travel all the way to Delhi, instead, the forum must go to them. The bench asked the chairman of...