India, March 8 -- The Supreme Court has exempted former high court judges from taking a mandatory test for appointments as heads of state consumer commissions. It has sought suggestions from the Union government on making the selection procedure for members of district and state consumer commissions "objective and fair".

The court noted that removing the examination criteria could give "back door entry" to ineligible persons and vest "unbridled discretion" in the hands of the state.

A Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud-led bench passed the order on Thursday while considering a batch of appeals challenging a September 2023 notification making it mandatory for heads and members of state and district consumer forums to c...