Salsa Extrusions And ANR v. West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited And ORS

12.3.2025 Item. 23 Ct. No. 2 ssi CALCUTTA HIGH COURT

IN THE CIRCUIT BENCH AT JALPAIGURI

W.P.A. 542 of 2025 Salsa Extrusions & another Vs.

WBSEDCL & ors.

Mr. Deborshi Dhar ...for the petitioners Mr. Subir Kr. Saha Mr. Bikash Singha ....for the State Mr. Sudipta Kanta Bhowmik Mr. Anirban Banerjee Ms. Dipti Bhowmik ..for the WBSEDCL Leave is granted to add the State as a respondent party. Necessary correction be done in course of the day.

Let a copy of the writ petition be handed over to Mr. Subir Kr. Saha, learned advocate, who ordinarily appears on behalf of the State. His engagement may be regularized in due course.

Affidavit of service filed on behalf of the petitioners is taken on record.

Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioners submits as follows. The petitioners had made an application for obtaining electricity connection. Necessary joint inspection was done and a

quotation was given. The petitioners paid the relevant sum. In spite of this, no electricity connection has been given by the authorities.

Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent WBSEDCL submits that when the franchise of the electricity company went to provide connection to the petitioners, the locals intervened and objected to the same. That is why the electricity connection could not be given. There is a need to have police protection in order to provide such connection. Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the State submits that if the Court directs, the State would act in accordance with law in providing help for giving electricity connection.

It is the right of an individual to obtain electricity connection and once a connection is issued by the Electricity Distribution Company, there is no reason that the same would not be provided merely because of physical intervention by third parties.

In view of the above, let the electricity authorities through its franchise or otherwise provided necessary electricity connection to the petitioners within two weeks from this date. The electricity company shall intimate the date in question to the Officer in Charge of Bhaktinagar Police Station two days in advance. The Officer in Charge of the Bhaktinagar Police Station thereafter shall deploy adequate number of armed police personnel to stand guard when the electricity

connection would be given by the electricity company to the petitioners. The cost of police protection shall be borne by the petitioners.

With these observations, the writ petition is disposed of.

As affidavits were not called for, the allegations made in the writ petition are deemed not to have been admitted.

Urgent Photostat certified copy of this order be supplied to the parties, if applied for, as early as possible.

(Jay Sengupta, J.)