5 Consumer protection: the shift from fault to standard

Consumer law did not wait for proof of negligence. Its premise is that the manufacturer or seller knows the product and the buyer does not, so the law imposes standards directly: quality, safety, labelling, honest description, and a defined remedy for defect. In Nepal these are provided by the consumer protection statute, which creates a right to compensation for goods or services that are defective or deficient, defines unfair trade practices, and provides a forum for complaints. Read together, tort and consumer law form a ladder: the consumer claims on the statutory standard without proving fault; the injured stranger claims in negligence.