ORDER :

U.V. Bakre, President—This Appeal is directed against the Order dated 24.7.2018 passed by the Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, North Goa (the “Forum”, for short) in Consumer Complaint No. 90/2016. The Appellant is the Opposite Party (OP, for short) and the Respondents were the Complainants in the said Complaint. Parties shall hereinafter be referred to as per their status in the said Complaint.

2. Facts sufficient for disposal of the Appeal are as follows:

The Forum had given a last opportunity to the OP to file affidavit-in-evidence on 16.2.2018. On 16.2.2018, the OP was absent before the Forum when the matter was called out two times, before 11.15 a.m.. On account of the absence of the OP and since the last opportunity was given to the OP to file affidavit-in-evidence on this date, the opportunity to file affidavit-in-evidence by the OP was closed. However, on the same day i.e. 16.2.2018 at 11.15 a.m., the learned Counsel for the OP appeared before the Forum and presented the affidavit-in-evidence along with copies. The same was simply kept by the Forum in the file. On the same day i.e. 0n 16.2.2018, the OP, hurriedly, filed an application for reopening the evidence. The O