Under Section 37 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, at the first hearing of a complaint after its admission, or at any later stage, the District Commission may refer the matter for mediation, where:

Section 37 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 provides that at the first hearing of the complaint after its admission, or at any later stage, if it appears to the District Commission that there exist elements of a settlement which may be acceptable to the parties, it may direct them to give in writing, within five days, their consent to have the dispute settled through mediation, and where both parties so agree, the Commission shall refer the matter for mediation, whereupon the provisions of Chapter V (Sections 74 to 81) relating to mediation shall apply. This voluntary, consent-based reference mechanism ensures mediation is pursued only where both the consumer and the opposite party are genuinely willing to explore settlement, preserving the complainant's right to full adjudication if such consent is not forthcoming.