Ms. Sucharita Biswas ..for the petitioner Mr. Sujit Sankar Koley Ms. Susmita Chatterjee ..for WBSEDCL The petitioner challenges a bill dated July 2, 2025, in which he was instructed to deposit a sum of Rs. 17,501/- for electricity consumption through a defective meter.

It is evident that the petitioner had been utilizing electricity through a meter that was later identified as defective. Consequently, on October 10, 2023, the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) installed a new meter.

The petitioner does not contest the bills raised by WBSEDCL following the installation of the new meter. The only dispute pertains to the payment for the period during which the meter was defective.

The procedure for billing in cases involving defective or malfunctioning meters is outlined in Clause

3.6.1 of the West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission ’s Notification No. 55/WBERC, dated August

7, 2013. The relevant clause is reproduced below:

“3.6.1. If, on inspection by the Distribution licensee on its own or on the basis of a complaint of a consumer, the meter of a consumer is found defective or defunct for a reason other than theft of electricity as provided in sect