STATE CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION, PUNJAB, CHANDIGARH.

First Appeal No.251 of 2024 Date of institution : 25.05.2024 Reserved on : 11.07.2025 Date of Decision : 22.07.2025 Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd., through its Chairman, The Mall, Patiala service through AEE, Lawrence Road, Sub-Division, Amritsar.

….Appellant/Opposite Party Versus Arun Suri S/o Sh.Raj Pal Suri, R/o 25, Dasaundha Singh Road, Amritsar.

….…Respondent/Complainant First Appeal under Section 41 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 against the order dated 21.02.2024 passed by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Amritsar in CC No.599 of 2022.

Quorum:-

Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Daya Chaudhary, President Ms. Simarjot Kaur, Member Mr. Vishav Kant Garg, Member

1) Whether Reporters of the Newspapers may be allowed to see the Judgment? Yes/No

2) To be referred to the Reporters or not? Yes/No

3) Whether judgment should be reported in the Digest?

Yes/No Present:-

For the appellant : Ms.Swatantar Kapoor, Advocate For the respondent : Sh.Sukhandeep Singh, Advocate SIMARJOT KAUR, MEMBER :

The Appellant/Opposite Party i.e. Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd., has filed the present Appeal through its Chairman to challenge the impugned order dated 21.02.2024 passed by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Amritsar (in short, “the District Commission”), whereby the Complaint filed by the Complainant-Arun Suri had been partly allowed

2. It would be apposite to mention here that hereinafter the parties will be referred, as were arrayed before the District Commission.

3. Briefly, the facts of the case as made out by the Respondent/Complainant-Arun Suri in the Complaint filed before the District Commission are that the Complainant was having electricity connection bearing Account No.3002913182 with the OP. He had regularly been paying the electricity bills to the OP. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the business of the Complainant had suffered. In such circumstances, he could not pay few bills and the OP had raised bill/arrear of an outstanding amount of Rs.49,336/- as on 31.12.2021. The OP had waived off the outstanding amount which was due on 31.12.2021 of all the consumers vide its circular No.21/22 dated 03.08.2022. It was averred by the Complainant that his case was also covered by the said circular. But the OP time and again had informed him about the outstanding arrears of Rs.49366/-. In this connection the Complainant had approached the OP time and again but they were adamant and did not comply with the said circular issued by PSPCL. Therefore, stating to be a case of ‘deficiency in service’ and ‘unfair trade practice’ on the part of OP for not comply the circular issued PSPCL. Hence, the Complaint was filed by the Complainant by seeking directions to be issued to the OP to not to demand an amount of Rs.49,366/- as due on 31.12.202 and to pay an amount of Rs.50,000/- as compensation and litigation expenses.

4. Upon issuance of notice in the Complaint, the OP had filed the written statement by raising certain preliminary objections that the Complainant had not come with clean hands as he had suppressed certain material facts. On merits, it was admitted by the OP that the electricity connection was installed in the premises of the Complainant. It was reiterated that the Complainant was a defaulter as he had not made the payment of outstanding arrears for an amount of Rs.49366/- for electricity consumption. It was admitted that the Complainant had made certain payments i.e. Rs.10,000/- on 08.02.2022, Rs.10,000/- on 08.02.2022, Rs.12,000/- on 12.02.2022, Rs.10,000/- on 09.05.2022, Rs.6,000/- on 09.05.2022, Rs.4,000/- on 29.05.2022 and Rs.10,000/- on 29.05.2022. But still an amount of Rs.49,366/- remained/due to be paid on 31.12.2021. The issuance of circular No.21/2022 by PSPCL was stated to be a matter of record. All other averments made in the Complaint were denied by the OP and it had prayed for dismissal of the Complaint.

5. By considering the av