Court orders Torrent Power to restore Mumbra woman's electricity after partial payment
The Thane Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered Torrent Power Ltd to immediately restore the electricity supply of a resident in Golden Park, Mumbra, on the condition that she pays 25 percent of her disputed Rs 2,32,950 bill. In an interim order reported on July 1, the commission ruled that electricity is a basic necessity and denying it causes irreparable hardship.
The interim order was passed by a bench comprising President Dr. Richa Bansode and Member B.B. Rasal. The ruling came after the complainant, Hurunisa Khalid Mukadam, approached the commission seeking relief following the disconnection of her power supply.
Mukadam became a domestic consumer of Torrent Power on January 28, 2023. According to her complaint, her monthly bills increased drastically after the company installed a new electricity meter, despite her household using only ordinary appliances like tube lights, fans, a television, and a refrigerator.
Mukadam claimed she repeatedly sought meter testing reports and explanations from Torrent Power but received no satisfactory response. The company subsequently disconnected her electricity supply on October 15, when the disputed bill reached Rs 2,32,950. Mukadam, who suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart-related ailments, argued that uninterrupted electricity was an essential necessity for her health.
Torrent Power opposed the plea, arguing that the complaint should have been taken to the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum under the Electricity Act. The company maintained that the meter was tested in the presence of Mukadam's representative and was functioning accurately. It claimed the high bills reflected actual consumption and that the supply was disconnected because she failed to clear arrears of Rs 2,59,550.
Rejecting Torrent Power's jurisdictional objection, the commission observed that while Mukadam had not paid any bills since getting the connection, electricity remains a basic necessity. The bench directed her to deposit 25 percent of the disputed Rs 2,32,950 bill.
Upon this payment, Torrent Power must restore the connection within seven days without charging any reconnection fees. Mukadam has also been ordered to pay future bills based on actual meter readings while the main complaint remains pending for final adjudication.
