Lack of quorum: Supreme Court extends CERC hearing suspension

The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday said that hearings at the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) cannot happen until the regulator does not appoint a person from law as a commission member.

The apex court, in its August 28 order, had indefinitely suspended CERC hearings due to short-staff, leading to no cases being heard throughout September. The SC had then asked two of the regulator’s members to go on leave. The apex court’s decision was in response to a plea seeking to enforce its own 2018 order which mandated a person from law to be appointed first as commission members.