The city's power distribution firm BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd has been fined Rs 25,000 by a Delhi consumer court for raising an inflated electricity bill of Rs 1.17 lakh against a user and lodging a false power theft case against him.

“Theft case was registered by BSES against the consumer and later it was withdrawn and refund was agreed to be made which shows that the theft case was without substance. Refund of money to him has been delayed for a very long time without any genuine ground,” a city district consumer forum presided over by Mr M.P. Mehndiratta said while giving the relief to the user.

“Holding BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd to be deficient in service, we allow the complaint to the effect that the company shall pay Rs 25,000 as compensation within one month from the receipt of this order,” it said.

The order came on a complaint by South Delhi resident R.K. Saxena, who alleged that the discom lodged a false case of “dishonest abstraction of energy” and forced him to part with Rs 32,000 against the bill amount of Rs 1.17 lakh under threat of disconnection.

A theft case was also registered before a Permanent Lok Adalat (PLA), but the discom, realising its mistake, withdrew the case in March 2005. This led the PLA to direct the discom to refund the amount of Rs 32,000 in seven days.

BSES issued the cheque but not to Mr Saxena, saying the meter connection was on a different name. After he moved the consumer court in 2007 seeking compensation and refund of the amount, the discom gave the cheque in his name in 2010.

The court said when the case was registered against Mr Saxena, the cheque also should have been issued in his name.

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