The Consumer Protection Act 1986 was enacted to protect the rights of consumers in India. It protects the rights to safe goods, fair trade practices, consumer education, and redressal against unfair exploitation. The Act defines key terms like complaints, defects, deficiency, and establishes consumer forums at the district, state and national level to address consumer disputes and complaints against businesses and service providers. It also outlines what constitutes a consumer, unfair trade practices, restrictive trade practices, and the scope of consumer protection under this legislation.