Madras HC dismisses plea challenging TANGEDCO’s ‘unfair’ power charges during lockdown

CHENNAI: In a major disappointment to lakhs of domestic electricity consumers, a division bench of the Madras High Court dismissed the case filed against Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) that called the entire power consumption calculation methodology by the authority during the lockdown period unfair.

The petitioner ML Ravi, an advocate, submitted that the field staff of TANGEDCO had failed to note down electricity meter readings of many power consumers due to the lockdown. Hence, it was ordered that such consumers could pay the same charges that they had paid in the previous billing cycle and get the amount adjusted when the readings get recorded in May or June. However, the methodology carried out was “arbitrary and unjust”, he added.