STATE CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION, PUNJAB, CHANDIGARH.

Date of institution : 20.05.2024 Reserved on : 20.11.2025 Date of Decision : 18.12.2025

1. Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, through its Chairman, The Mall, Patiala-147001

2. Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, through its XEN, Sub Division City Barnala, Dhanaula Road, Barnala-148101, Tehsil and District Barnala

3. Punjab State Power Corporation Limited through its Sub- Divisional Officer, Sub-Division City Barnala, Dhanaula Road, Barnala-148101, Tehsil and District Barnala ….Appellants/Opposite Parties Versus Harinder Pal son of Late Sh. Butti Ram, resident of House No. 2422, Ward No. 11, Talwandi Patti, Village Handiaya, Tehsil and District Barnala .…Respondent/Complainant First Appeal under Section 41 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 against the order dated 23.02.2024 passed by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Barnala in C.C. No. 144 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 appellants : Sh. R.K. Prashar, Advocate with Er. Antpal Singh AAE For the respondent : Sh. Yash Goyal, Advocate for Sh. Chahit Bansal, Advocate VISHAV KANT GARG, MEMBER :

Appellants/Opposite Parties i.e. Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and Others, have filed the present Appeal through its Chairman to challenge the impugned order dated 23.02.2024 passed by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Barnala (in short, “the District Commission”), whereby the Complaint filed by the Respondent/Complainant-Harinder Pal 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 in the Complaint filed before the District Commission are that the Complainant was tenant in Shop No. 9, BDPO Complex, Nanakshar Thatha, Gurudwara Road, Opposite Paradise Restaurant, Barnala, where he was running the office of Dainik Jagran Newspaper upto 2016. In the said shop, Electricity Meter No. 3002220130 was installed and he had paid the Bill upto September, 2016. Thereafter, the Complainant had shifted his office to the new shop. The Complainant had applied for disconnection of the said electric connection by submitting an application. He had paid the bill of Rs.21,781/- on 07.10.2016 at the time of vacating the shop. After sometime, the Complainant had again decided to open the office in the said shop. He had moved an application with the OPs for allotting the new electric connection, running in that shop.

He had deposited Rs.3,630/- on 01.12.2022 as fee and on that, the OPs had allotted new Account No. 3007756369 but demanded Rs.32,090/- as outstanding against the old Electricity Connection No. 3002220130 installed in the said shop. The Complainant had informed that he had already submitted the application dated 07.10.2016 for permanent disconnection of said electric connection. On enquiry, it was found that the OPs had committed many mistakes while generating the previous bills and there was huge difference between the consumption of units and meter reading. It was averred that in different Bills, the consumption was reflected as under:-

4. Above details clarified that the OPs had wrongly mentioned the consumption details and had illegally raised the demand of Rs.32,090/- and forced the Complainant to clear the outstanding dues, before installing the new electricity connection. The Complainant had approached the OPs and requested them to rectify the said mistake but of no use. He was harassed by the OPs without any default on his part. No notice was served upon him intimating about any outstanding due and not install