A Delhi district consumer forum has slapped a fine of `25,000 on the city’s power distribution firm, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd, for raising an inflated electricity bill of `1.17 lakh against an user and lodging a false power theft case against him.
While giving relief to a South Delhi consumer R.K. Saxena, the district consumer forum, presided by M.P. Mehndiratta, said, “Theft case was registered by BSES against the consumer and later it was withdrawn and refund was agreed to be made which shows that the theft case was without substance. Refund of money to him has been delayed for a very long time without any genuine ground.”
The forum slapped the fine of `25,000 after holding BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd to be deficient in service.
The forum also directed that the company shall pay `25,000 as compensation to Mr Saxena, within one month from the receipt of this order.
The forum passed the order after hearing a complaint of Mr Saxena who alleged that the discom lodged a false case of “dishonest abstraction of energy” and forced him to part with `32,000 against the bill amount of `1.17 lakh under threat of disconnection.
A theft case was also registered before a Permanent Lok Adalat (PLA), but the discom, realising its mistake, withdrew its case in March 2005.
This led the PLA to direct the discom to refund the amount of `32,000 in seven days.
BSES issued the cheque but not to Mr Saxena saying the meter connection was on a different name.
After he moved the consumer court in 2007 seeking compensation and refund of the amount, the discom gave the cheque in his name in 2010.
The court said when the case was registered against Mr Saxena, the cheque also should have been issued in his name.