T.M. Hussan Pillai, President — The controversy that is to be resolved by us in these appeals preferred by the opposite parties(opposite parties 1 & 2 preferred Appeal No.612/2002, opposite parties 7,8 & 9 preferred Appeal No.613/2002 and Opposite parties 4,5,6,10 & 11 preferred Appeal No.614/2002 and the appeals are preferred against the order passed in O.P.251/99 by the Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Thiru-vananthapuram) is to whether a joint complaint filed by the complainants who are respondents Nos. l & 2 in all these three appeals is maintainable and if maintainable the further question that is to be answered is whether the forum below was justified in passing the impugned order making all the opposite parties liable for the reliefs granted by the forum below.

2. The reliefs granted by the forum below are opposite parties 1 to 12 are directed to pay to the first complainant Rs. 1,50,000/- with interest at 14.5% from 6/97 till date of realisation and to pay to the second complainant Rs. 42,751/- with interest at 14.5%, from 5/97 till date of realisation. They are further directed to pay Rs,7,500/- to the 1st complainant as compensation, Rs. 1,000/- as costs; Rs. 2,