Big win for consumer after Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam fails to reimburse expense on wire

By Rosamma Thomas* 
In an order that ought to be widely publicized so consumers are better aware of their rights, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission Jaipur-II imposed a fine of Rs30,000 on the public sector Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, the power distribution company, for forcing a consumer to bear the cost of electrical cable.
The fine includes the Rs8,260 that the consumer bore as expenses towards replacing the cable.
On July 28, 2021, the consumer, Dr Narendra Gupta, a resident of Jaipur, found the electricity supply to his home had got abruptly disrupted – other houses in the neighbourhood did not share his problem.
Once the complaint was lodged, a worker from the electricity distribution firm arrived and informed him that the line that connects to his house from the nearest pole was faulty and would need to be replaced. The distribution firm did not have the required cable in stock, and the consumer was informed that if he purchased the cable, the amount he spent would later be reimbursed.
The consumer spent Rs8,260 on the cable, but when he approached the company for reimbursement, he found no response. He issued a legal notice to the firm, and a representative of the electricity distribution company arrived at his house on 22 September, 2021 to assure him that the reimbursement would come through soon; despite that assurance, the money remained elusive.

The consumer paid Rs8,260 for it; Nigam fined Rs30,000 for failure to reimburse that amount

The lawyer representing the distribution company argued in court that the consumer had insisted on a 16mm cable, when what was required was only a 10 mm cable. He was offered reimbursement of the required length of cable of 10mm width, but he insisted on receiving the cost of the 16mm cable.

The commission ruled that since the complainant had not been earlier informed that the amount would not be reimbursed for the thicker wire, the onus was on the company to reimburse costs and also make up for the mental tension caused to the consumer.
On January 9, 2025, the commission ruled that the electricity distribution firm must pay a fine of Rs30,000 to the consumer as penalty for faulty service.
During the hearing, advocate Sudhindra Kumawat, representing the consumer, pointed to Section 7.11 of the Terms and Conditions for Supply of Electricity, 2021. Section 7.11 makes it clear that the service line is “maintained by the Nigam at its cost.”
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*Freelance journalist