Rule 6 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Rule 6 describes how goods are tested when a complaint before the National Commission needs analysis or testing. The Commission may direct the complainant to provide samples, seals and labels them, sends them to a recognised laboratory, and expects a report within forty-five days or an extended time it grants.
This article takes the rules as amended up to G.S.R. 606(E) dated 17 August 2023, which changed only the Table in rule 7. Rule 6 is as published in G.S.R. 448(E) of 15 July 2020. Later amendments should be checked on the website of the Department of Consumer Affairs.
The National Commission may direct the complainant to provide one or more samples of the goods in clean containers with the stopper properly fixed. The Commission seals the samples and fixes labels with four particulars, sends the sealed sample to the recognised laboratory, and the laboratory forwards its report within forty-five days or within such extended time as the Commission grants, specifying the nature of the defect and the date of submission of the report. The rule prints no fee for the testing.
Rule 6(1): the direction to provide samples
"The National Commission may direct the complainant to provide one or more than one sample of the goods in clean containers with stopper properly fixed on them for the purposes of testing or analysis." Three points follow.
- The direction is discretionary: "may". The Commission decides whether testing is needed.
- The complainant provides the sample. The rule places the practical burden of producing it on the complainant.
- The containers must be clean, with the stopper properly fixed, so that the sample is not contaminated or spoiled on the way.
The Act's own procedure for a complaint that needs analysis or testing is in our post on section 38 of the Act. Rule 6 supplies the detail of how the samples are handled when the National Commission is the forum. A complainant whose case turns on the quality of goods can get consumer complaint filing help to plan the evidence. The rules on which complaints go to the National Commission are in the Jurisdiction Rules, 2021.
Rule 6(2): seal and label
On receiving the samples the National Commission "shall seal it and fix labels on the containers carrying the following information":
| Clause | Label particular |
|---|---|
| (a) | The name and address of the appropriate laboratory to which the sample shall be sent for analysis and test |
| (b) | The name and address of the National Commission |
| (c) | The case number |
| (d) | The official seal of the National Commission |
Sealing and labelling by the Commission, and not by a party, gives the laboratory an identified sample that can be tied to one case. The case number connects the sample to the file. The seal and emblem are decided by the Central Government under rule 4.
Rule 6(3): to the recognised laboratory
"The sealed sample shall be sent to the recognised laboratory by the National Commission." The sample goes from the Commission and not from the complainant, so the chain of custody runs from the complainant to the Commission and from the Commission to the laboratory. The rule does not say which laboratories are recognised or how recognition is given; the sample is sent to "the appropriate laboratory" named on the label under clause 6(2)(a).
Rule 6(4): the report
"The recognized laboratory shall, after receiving sealed sample and examining it, shall forward its report to the National Commission within forty-five days or within such extended time as may be granted by the National Commission, specifying the nature of the defect and date of submission of report."
| Item | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Who reports | The recognised laboratory |
| To whom | The National Commission |
| Within what time | Forty-five days, or such extended time as the Commission grants |
| What the report must state | The nature of the defect and the date of submission of the report |
The forty-five-day period is the one printed in the rule; the rule does not say from which date it runs beyond the words "after receiving sealed sample and examining it". The Commission alone can extend the time.
Fees and costs
Rule 6 prints no fee for the laboratory test, no deposit by the complainant and no allocation of costs. Nothing in it should be read as stating any amount. The fee for filing a complaint is a separate matter in rule 7, and the time within which a complaint should be decided where analysis or testing is required (five months, as against three months where none is required) is in rule 12(5).
An invented example: Foodcraft Ltd supplies edible oil to a large buyer, Meridian Hotels, in a bulk contract. Meridian complains to the National Commission that the oil is adulterated. The Commission directs Meridian to provide samples in clean, stoppered containers. It seals them, labels them with the laboratory's name and address, its own name and address, the case number and its seal, and sends them to the recognised laboratory. The laboratory's report, due in forty-five days unless extended, must state the nature of the defect and the date of submission.
What a complainant should do
- Keep the original goods in the condition in which they were received, as far as possible.
- If the Commission directs a sample, use clean containers with the stoppers properly fixed.
- Do not seal or label the sample yourself in place of the Commission; the rule requires the Commission to do so.
- Track the laboratory's forty-five-day period and any extension.
For the other rules in this set, see the map in rules 1 to 5.
Need help with a product quality complaint?
If your complaint depends on laboratory testing of goods, our consumer complaint filing team can help you prepare the complaint and the evidence the Commission is likely to ask for.
Key takeaways
- The National Commission may direct the complainant to provide samples in clean containers with the stopper properly fixed.
- The Commission seals and labels the samples with four particulars and sends them to a recognised laboratory.
- The laboratory reports within forty-five days or such extended time as the Commission grants.
- The report must state the nature of the defect and the date of submission.
- Rule 6 prints no fee.
Read next
- Rules 1-5: definitions, working days, seal and sittings
- Rule 7: fee for filing a consumer complaint
- Rule 12: complaints before the National Commission
- Section 38: procedure on admission of a complaint
Disclaimer: Based on the rules, regulations and guidelines named above as published in the Gazette of India or on the CCPA website, with the amending notifications the article names (consulted on 3 October 2026). Later amendments, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 provisions referred to, State rules and CCPA advisories should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.