M/S Jaiswal Stone Products v. State of U.P. and 3 Others
Case brief
What is this about?
Allahabad High Court writ petition (WRIT - C No. 39592 of 2022), decided 18.1.2023 by Manoj Kumar Gupta and Vikram D. Chauhan, JJ. Subject: compounding charges for theft of electricity at Rs.20,000/- per KVA demanded by Executive Engineer, Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, Robertsganj/Sonbhadra (order dated 17.11.2022). Points raised: absence of opportunity of hearing (natural justice); arbitrariness of the compounding amount where connection was not industrial. Result: petition disposed of; liberty to file objection within two weeks; objection to be decided by respondent no.3 by speaking order; interim protection - no coercive action in pursuance of the impugned order until then. No statute or precedent cited in the judgment.
What did the court decide?
Liberty to the petitioner to file objection against the order dated 17.11.2022 within two weeks; such objection to be decided by respondent no.3 by a speaking order; and no coercive action against the petitioner in pursuance of the impugned order until then.