Ranbirsingh S/O Gurucharansingh Chandok v. The Police Station Officer Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. Nagpur And Other

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY

NAGPUR BENCH : NAGPUR.

Criminal P.I.L. No.3 of 2016 (Ranbirsingh s/o. Gurucharansingh Chandok vs. The P.S.O., MSEDCL and Ors.) ______________________________________________________________________________ Office Notes, Office Memoranda of Coram, appearances, Court's orders or directions Court's or Judge's orders.

and Registrar's orders Mr.P.S.Sahare, Advocate for the Petitioner.

Mr.M.J.Khan, A.P.P. for Respondent No.1.

Mr.A.M.Qazi, Advocate for Respondent No.2.

Mr.S.V.Purohit, Advocate for Respondent No.3. CORAM : B.R.GAVAI AND KUM. INDIRA JAIN, JJ.

DATE : 16.3.2017.

Heard.

The Division Bench of this Court vide order dt.15.9.2016 had directed the Registry to treat the present application as a Public Interest Litigation and place before the Bench taking up the P.I.Ls. Accordingly, the matter is placed before us.

In the identical matter, this Court had taken suo motu cognizance of the issue and directed the Public Interest Litigation to be registered. It was registered as a Criminal P.I.L. No.4 of 2014. It will be appropriate to refer to the order passed in said P.I.L. dt.25.2.2016, which reads thus :

" We had taken suo motu cognizance and directed present petition to be registered as public interest litigation since it was noticed that in the entire Vidarbha region, only one Police Station, i.e. MSEDCL Gaddigodam Police Station was notified as a Police Station for the offences punishable under the Electricity Act, 2003 and the consumers residing in distant parts of Vidarbha would be put to inconvenience.

It is informed that the State of Maharashtra has issued a Circular dated 13.6.2008 wherein it is directed that all the Police Stations would be required to register first information reports with regard to offences under the Electricity Act, 2003. The Circular dated 13/1/2006 reveals that Hon'ble Chief Justice of Bombay High Court vide order dated 28/12/2005 has been pleased to designate all the Courts of Additional District and Sessions Judges at the District Headquarters excluding Mumbai for trial of cases under the Electricity Act, 2003. Copy of communication dated 29/12/2005 addressed by the learned Registrar General to the Managing Director of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd. is also placed on record.

In that view of the matter, we find that grievance is taken care of. The petition is disposed of. "

In that view of the matter, we find that the grievance which is sought to be raised in the present P.I.L. is already taken care of while disposing of Criminal Public Interest Litigation No.4 of 2014.

In that view of the matter, no orders are necessary to be passed in the

present P.I.L. and hence, it is disposed of.

Insofar as independent grievance of the petitioner is concerned, we direct the learned trial Judge, before whom the proceedings are pending, to dispose of the proceedings as expeditiously as possible and preferably within a period of six months from today.

JUDGE JUDGE jaiswal