Rikshun Foundation Charitable Trust v. The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company And ORS.

S/L 1 12.11.2025 Court. No. 25 suvayan WPA 15170 of 2025 Rikshun Foundation Charitable Trust Vs.

The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited & Ors.

Mr. Kishore Mukherjee ...for the petitioner.

Mr. Debjit Mukherjee ...for W.B.S.E.D.C.L.

1.

The report filed by the learned counsel for the respondents is taken on record.

2. The petitioner has filed the present writ application praying for direction upon the respondent no. 5 to revise the bill dated January 21, 2024 and split the billing amount in accordance with the standard three months billing cycle and further allow the petitioner to pay the revise bill in four installments without any additional charges.

3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the bill was revised on April 1, 2023 and thereafter the second bill was raised on January 1, 2024 though as per the law the authorities have to raise the bill within three months. As the authorities have raised the bill after the period of eight months and as such the total due amount of the electric consumption charges is increased up to Rs. 1,69,220/- and if the bill is to be splited by three months, the amount would have been less.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the petitioner has raised the dispute with regard to the bill

raised by the authorities due to which the petitioner could not pay the electrical consumption charges in terms of the bill raised by the respondents/authorities dated January 1, 2024 and on February 10, 2025 the electric connection has been disconnected. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the petitioner is running a school and due to disconnection of the electric connection in the school, the petitioner facing difficulty to run the school.

5. Learned counsel for the respondent has submitted report and submits that after raising of the bill, the petitioner has approached the RGRO against the said bill but the RGRO has dismissed the claim made by the petitioner and thus the petitioner ought to have approached the ombudsman challenging the order passed by the RGRO but instead of filing an appeal, the petitioner has filed the present writ application, thus the writ application is not maintainable. He further submits that as the petitioner has not paid the electrical consumption charges till February 10, 2025 and as such the electric connection has been disconnected. He further submits that if the petitioner will pay the total electrical consumption charges, the respondents will provide the electric connection in the premises subject to the payment of the reconnection charges.

6. Heard the learned counsel for the respective parties.

7. Perused the materials on record, this Court finds the respondents have raised the bill up to January 1, 2024 for a total amount of Rs. 1,69,220/- but the petitioner

has not paid the said amount and has challenged the said bill before the RGRO. The RGRO has finds that the bill raised by the authorities is correct and did not interfere with the bill. This Court finds that the petitioner has not paid the bill raised by the respondents accordingly the line was disconnected on February 10, 2025. From the report it reveals that as on February 10, 2025 there was a total outstanding due of Rs. 3,74,343/-. The petitioner submits that the petitioner pay the said amount by five installments.

8. Accordingly, the petitioner is directed to pay the total outstanding due of Rs. 3,74,343/- in four equal installments. The petitioner shall pay the first installment along with the reconnection charges to the concerned authorities by November 20, 2025. If the petitioner pay the first installment along with the reconnection charges to the concerned authorities, the authorities shall immediate provide the electric connection in the premises of the petitioner.

9. It is made clear that, subsequently the petitioner shall pay the further three equal installments month by month that is on December 20, 2025, January 20, 2026 and February 20, 2026 along with the current consumption bill, if any, raised by the authorities.

10. Accordingly, WPA 15170 of 2025 is disposed of.

11. Urgent photostat certified copies of this order, if applied for, be supplied to the parties upon compliance with all the necessary formalities.

(Krishna Rao, J.)