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2021 Supreme(Mad) 2320

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
S.M. SUBRAMANIAM, J.
M/s. Harihar Alloys Private Limited, Represented by its Director, Trichy - Appellant
Versus
Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) Represented by its Chairman and Managing Director, Chennai & Others - Respondents
W.P. No. 1053 of 2015 & M.P. No. 1 of 2015
Decided on : 17-11-2021

Advocate Appeared:
For the Appellant :K. Narasimhan, E. Jayashankar, Advocates.
For the Respondents:M. Abdul Kalam, V. Venkatesan, Advocate.

Headnote:

Constitution of India, 1950 – Article 226 - Electricity Act, 2003 – Section 2(34),2(25),34 and 73(d) – Levying - Harmonic compensation charges - Writ Petition filed Under Article 226 of Constitution of India, to issue a Writ of Certiorari Mandamus, calling for records of 2nd respondent culminating in order issued for petitioner's, quash same and forbear respondents, their men, officers, agents, servants, representatives and/or any one claiming through or under them and/or any other person from in any manner levying, demanding and/or collecting harmonic compensation charges for harmonics dumping from petitioner for their HT either through monthly High Tension Bills or in any other manner till such time that Honorable Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) clarifies issue in Miscellaneous Application pending before it - Whether consumers connected to a distribution system irrespective of capacity of supply they receive including 11kv and 22kv supply lines need to provide harmonic control – Held, , when this Court directed learned Additional Solicitor General of India to get instruction whether the consumers connected to a distribution system irrespective of capacity of supply they receive including 11kv and 22kv supply lines need to provide harmonic control equipment’s, as a reply thereto, Chief Engineer (Legal), Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power in his letter has clarified that the CEA Regulations, with respect to compensation on account of harmonic distortions, are applicable to only those consumers, who are connected to 33kv or above, namely, only bulk consumers although State has got power to direct the consumers to install harmonic filters irrespective of their voltage connection as stated by learned Additional Advocate General for TANGEDCO, same cannot be sustained in view of non-specification of any standard of harmonics for 11kv/22kv/supply line consumers by CEA, who, being an Apex Body as per Section 73(d) of the Act, has exclusive powers to specify Grid Standards for operation and maintenance of transmission lines - Thus, for all the reasons stated, impugned demands are quashed - Consequently, writ petitions are allowed - Consequently, connected miscellaneous petitions are also closed.

JUDGMENT :

(Prayer: Writ Petition filed Under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, to issue a Writ of Certiorarified Mandamus, calling for the records of the 2nd respondent culminating in the order bearing Lr.No.SE/PEDC/PDKTA/AEE/GL/F.Harmonics/D.No.665/14 dated 14.11.2014 issued for the petitioner's HT SC No.123, quash the same and forbear the 1st and 2nd respondents, their men, officers, agents, servants, representatives and/or any one claiming through or under them and/or any other person from in any manner levying, demanding and/or collecting harmonic compensation charges for harmonics dumping from the petitioner for their HT SC NO.123 either through the monthly High Tension Bills or in any other manner till such time that the Honourable Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) clarifies the issue in Miscellaneous Application No.126 of 2014 pending before it.)

1. The impugned Demand Notice passed by the 2nd respondent, dated 14.11.2014, is sought to be quashed in the present writ petition and a further direction is also sought to forbear the 1st and 2nd respondents, their men, officers, agents, servants, representatives and/or any one claiming through or under them and/or any other person from in any manner levying, demanding and/or collecting harmonic compensation charges for harmonics dumping from the petitioner for their HT SC NO.123 either through the monthly High Tension Bills or in any other manner till such time that the Honourable Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) clarifies the issue in Miscellaneous Application No.126 of 2014 pending before it.

2. The relief sought for in the present writ petition is similar to the relief sought for by the writ petitioners in a batch of writ petitions in W.P.No.25 of 2015 [M/s.S.Palaniyandi Mudaliar Memorial Hospital v. TANGEDCO], etc. and batch, which was decided by this Court on 05.06.2017.

3. The relevant paragraphs of the said order are extracted hereunder :

    “24. In view of the above, since the harmonics have several undesirable effects and affects power quality, on 21.02.2007, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) introduced a new Regulation and accordingly, its Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Grid Regulations, 2007, came for enforcement. Applicability of the Regulations is provided in Regulation 3, which reads as under:

“3. Applicability of the Regulations - These Regulations shall be applicable to all the users, requesters, Central Transmission Utility and State Transmission Utility.”

It is clear from the above that the the said Regulation is applicable only to four categories, namely, Users, Requesters, Central Transmission Utility and State Transmission Utility. 25. In this context, let me find out the meaning given under the CEA Regulations, 2007, for Users and Requesters. Section 2(34) defines the meaning of “User”, which is given as under:-

“2(34)-- User means a person such as, a Generating Company including captive generating plant or Transmission Licensee (other than the Central Transmission Utility and State Transmission Utility) or Distribution Licensee or Bulk Consumer, whose electrical plant is connected to the grid at voltage level 33kv and above.” Section 2(25) defines the meaning of “Requester”, which is given as under:-

“2(25)-- Requester means a person, such as a Generating Company including captive generating plant or Transmission Licensee (excluding Central Transmission Utility and State Transmission Utility) or Distribution Licensee or Bulk Consumer, who is seeking connection of his new or expanded electrical plant to the Grid at voltage level 33kv and above.”

A conjoint reading of the above said provisions show that a person such as, Generating Company including captive generating plant or Transmission Licensee or Distribution Licensee or Bulk Consumer, whose electrical plant is connected to the grid at voltage level 33 kv and above. Therefore, it is clear that the above said Regulations are applicable to only those consum

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