The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity has set aside an order of Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission against Reliance Energy Ltd on a dispute related to billing complaints by its customers in Mumbai.
This is the third case in the past one week where the tribunal has reversed orders of the state regulator against the Anil Ambani group firm.
Last week, the Tribunal had accepted REL's view that Tata Power did not have the license to supply electricity to retail consumers in Mumbai. In the second case, it had reversed an MERC order barring REL from giving rebate to its consumers.
In this case, MERC had, in June last year, while acting on a complaint of wrong billing and overcharging from a consumer, had asked REL to refund the excess amount charged.
The commission had directed REL to refund the excess amount with an interest rate of 12 per cent for the period July 2004-July 2005 and at the rate of 18 per cent thereafter.
However, REL challenged the verdict in the tribunal on grounds that MERC did not have the jurisdiction on matters pertaining to billing disputes.
In its judgement, the tribunal agreed with REL's view and said that MERC could not have issued such an order.
"When a forum has been set up for redressal of consumer grievances, no other forum or authority has jurisdiction on such matters," the tribunal said.
"MERC being a regulatory body has to exercise such functions as provided in law and not usurp jurisdiction of consumer redressal forum," it said, adding the consumers could approach the forum with their complaint.
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