- The Bombay High Court stayed a bailable warrant against Ola Electric CEO Bhavish Aggarwal.
- The District Consumer Commission, South Goa, issued the warrant exceeding its legal authority.
- The court stated consumer forums can't issue arrest warrants during ongoing complaint hearings.
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday stayed a bailable warrant issued by the District Consumer Commission, South Goa, against Bhavish Aggarwal, founder and CEO of Ola Electric Technologies Pvt Ltd., after observing that the panel appeared to have exceeded its legal authority.
Issuing notice to the commission, the High Court held that the body had prima facie crossed the limits of its jurisdiction by invoking powers it did not possess under the Consumer Protection Act.
"On going through the scheme of the Consumer Protection Act, it is only after the order granting compensation is passed and the same is sought to be enforced under Section 71 of the Act that the state commission is vested with the powers of a civil court… to issue a warrant of detention as a means to enforce its order," the court observed, according to The Times of India.
The High Court further noted that no provision empowers a consumer forum to issue such a warrant during the pendency of proceedings. "There appears to be no such powers to issue such a warrant to any party to a dispute before the consumer forum or commission during the course of hearing of the complaint," Justice Valmiki Menezes stated, reports TOI.
The notice was issued on Jan. 28, 2026 and was for clarification regarding a complaint lodged by a customer named Pritish Chandrakant Ghadi. The South Goa commission had last week directed the Bengaluru police to arrest Aggarwal and produce him before the forum on Feb. 23, following his failure to appear despite prior notice. He was to be released on bail of Rs 1.47 lakh.
Aggarwal did not attend the hearing, prompting the commission's order. The High Court's stay pauses further action against the Ola Electric CEO while the legal question of the commission's authority is examined.
ALSO READ: Goa Consumer Commission Issues Bailable Warrant Against Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal
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