ORDER :- The Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board issued B.P. Ms. No. 607, Commercial, dated 21st of July, 1981. The validity of those proceedings is now assailed in this batch of writ petitions by several industrial concerns. The facts that give rise to this litigation are common to all the writ petitions and the questions of law that call for adjudication are also substantially the same. The facts in one case are almost similar to the facts in any other case. It is not, therefore, necessary to refer to the facts in each individual case separately. I, therefore, set out the facts in writ petition No. 1655/82 filed by the Andhra Cement Limited, Vijayawada.

2. The Andhra Pradesh State Government acting under the Electricity Supply Act, 1948 (hereinafter called 'the Supply Act') constituted the Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board (hereinafter called 'the Board'). The Board so constituted in law is a statutory corporation. It is a State authority conferred with statutory powers that empower it to produce electricity and distribute the same. The Supply Act created the Board with monopoly powers with necessary authority to generate and distribute electricity in the State to