Man given ‘arbitrary’ Rs 1 lakh electricity bill, wins Rs 20,000 payout

“A consumer cannot be expected to bear the burden of an arbitrary demand exceeding Rs 1 lakh without proper justification. Such conduct naturally causes mental agony, harassment and inconvenience,” the commission said on June 3.

Court notes prior billing error

• The complainant has produced the disputed bill for March 2022 amounting to Rs 1.09 lakh.
• Prior to this, he was regularly receiving and paying nominal domestic bills.
• These documents clearly establish that the complainant’s normal electricity consumption was very low.
• The opposite parties (DHBNL) have failed to place on record any laboratory test report, checking report, meter testing report or inspection report proving actual consumption of such huge units.
• This commission holds that the disputed bill is not supported by reliable evidence and appears to have been raised due to a billing error and negligence on the part of the opposite parties.
• The complainant has proved that in September 2021, the opposite parties had initially issued an inflated bill of Rs 64,407.
• Subsequently, after admitting the mistake, the opposite parties issued a corrected bill to Rs 448.
• This previous incident demonstrates that billing mistakes had already occurred in the complainant’s account.
• The opposite parties have not produced any cogent evidence explaining the extraordinary jump in consumption.

‘Consumer can’t bear arbitrary burden’

• Mere allegations of meter tampering are insufficient in the absence of any inspection report, seizure memo, checking report, assessment order or laboratory testing report.
• The act of raising an arbitrary and excessive bill amounts to a deficiency in service and unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• The complainant was compelled to approach this commission after repeated requests for correction of the bill were ignored.
• A consumer cannot be expected to bear the burden of an arbitrary demand exceeding Rs 1 lakh without proper justification. Such conduct naturally causes mental agony, harassment and inconvenience.

Repeated requests ‘ignored’

The complainant, Krishan Lal, having sanctioned a load of 2 KW for domestic use, regularly paid electricity bills till January 2022. It was alleged that in September 2021, he received an inflated bill of Rs 64,407, which, upon enquiry with DHBVNL, was admitted to be a mistake and corrected to Rs 448, and duly paid on October 10, 2021.

However, in March 2022, the complainant was shocked to receive an exorbitant bill of Rs 1.09 lakh, showing consumption of 14,890 units in two months.

The complainant contended that his domestic consumption is very low and he can’t consume such huge units. His repeated requests to rectify the bill were declined by the respondents.

The complainant further alleged that due to the act and conduct of the respondents, he had to suffer mental agony, physical harassment and humiliation.

‘Meter tampered with’

The opposite party, on appearance, filed a written statement alleging therein that the bills issued were correct as per the units consumed. They alleged that the complainant is not a regular bill-paying consumer and further claimed that he had tampered with and burnt the electricity meter.

Hence, in view of the circumstances mentioned above, there is no deficiency in service on the part of the opposite party and the complaint is liable to be dismissed with costs, it argued.

Significance

This judgment reinforces consumer rights against arbitrary utility billing. It establishes that companies must provide empirical evidence for high charges rather than mere allegations. By validating past consumption history as evidence, it holds providers accountable for “deficiency in service” and mandates compensation for harassment.

Consumers facing similar grievances may contact the consumer helpline in their respective states (Haryana contact: 1800-180-2087) or dial the National Consumer Helpline at 1915 for assistance.