JUDGMENT :

To light up a tiny bulb in his tiny house Sainuddeen had to walk from pole to pole. An order of the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) in his favour could not dispel the darkness at his home and the State Electricity Regulatory Commission mulcted two officers of the Board for delay in giving electricity connection and thus these two officers are before this Court.

2. Sri. P. Sainuddeen, the 3rd respondent applied for electric connection to his newly built house of 300 square feet extent before the Assistant Engineer, Electric Section, Edarikkode, (hereinafter referred to as 'AE' for brivity) vide his application dated 20.05.2013. The AE, by Ext.P1 letter dated 28.05.2013, informed the 3rd respondent that the house is constructed without keeping the minimum distance from the Low Tension electric line (L.T. line) and that only after shifting the electric line, the electric connection can be given. Aggrieved by the said stand of the AE and complaining of the delay in granting electric connection, the 3rd respondent filed Ext. P2 complaint under Section 43 (3) of the Electricity Act, 2003 (hereinafter referred to as 'the Electricity Act' for short) before the CGRF const