Bureau of Indian Standards(BIS) is National Standards Body of India, mandated by the Parliament, for development of Indian Standards, certification and laboratory testing along with associated activities. A BIS advertisement in Hindustan Times of 03 April 2014 says – Always insist on products that bear the ISI Mark. It assures quality, reliability and safety.
The laws relating to product liability, in India, have been constantly evolving, by way of judicial interpretations and amendments, to become one of the most important socio-economic legislations for the protection of consumers. Presently product liability law governs the liability of manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and vendors for injury to a person or property caused by dangerous or defective products. The goal of product liability laws is to help protect consumers from dangerous or defective products, while holding manufacturers, distributors, and retailers responsible for putting into the market place products that they knew or should have known were dangerous or defective.
BIS, in its advertisement, invites the manufacturers to ensure that their products should bear ISI mark. To encourage the consumers to buy ISI marked products it assures them that any product which bears ISI mark assures its quality, reliability and safety. This assurance makes BIS an equal partner of manufacturers, distributors, and retailers and it should also share the responsibility for putting into the market place products that they knew or should have known were dangerous or defective. Along with manufacturers, distributors, and retailers BIS also earn huge profits in this business and should be made liable for any injury to the consumer.
The time has now come that product liability law should also govern the liability of BIS along with manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and vendors for injury to a person or property caused by dangerous or defective products.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs under whose administrative control BIS functions should take urgent steps to amend the existing liability laws to cover BIS as a liable party for any injury to the consumer.
