Jagannath Ghosh v. State Of West Bengal And ORS.

AD-14 Ct No.09 16.01.2023 TN WPA No. 116 of 2023 Jagannath Ghosh Vs.

The State of West Bengal and others Mr. Syed Shamsul Abedin, Mr. Kamiz Kulsum, Ms. Nadira Abedin .... for the petitioner Ms. Jayeeta Sinha, Mr. Sandip Mandal .... for the State Ms. Suvasree Ghose .... for the WBSEDCL The petitioner has raised a dispute with regard to certain bills raised by the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL). Learned counsel for the Distribution Licensee submits that there is no dispute with regard to the correctness of the meter. However, due to irregular payments, the WBSEDCL has raised LPSC bills.

Upon hearing learned counsel for the petitioner, the Distribution Licensee and the State, it transpires that the petitioner has already preferred a challenge with regard to the billing-in-question before the concerned Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO).

Hence, the writ petition can very well be disposed of with an expectation that the said matter will be decided at the earliest.

Accordingly, WPA No. 116 of 2023 is disposed of by directing the GRO before whom the petitioner has approached with the billing dispute raised herein, to decide such dispute as expeditiously as possible and in accordance with law, positively within six weeks from date.

The WBSEDCL shall not disconnect the electricity supply to the petitioner prior to disposal of the dispute by the GRO on the ground of non-payment of the disputed bills.

There will be no order as to costs.

Urgent photostat certified copies of this order, if applied for, be made available to the parties upon compliance with the requisite formalities.

(Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya, J.)