Ranchi: The Supreme Court has issued notices to 15 states and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir over long pending vacancies in state electricity regulatory commissions. The action came during the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Energy Watchdog, which alleged that the shortage of legally qualified members in several commissions was affecting the functioning of the regulatory system and consumer interests.
PIL Raised Issue of Vacant Regulatory Posts
The petition was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana. It alleged that several posts in the State electricity regulatory commissions had remained vacant for a long period and that, in some states, even the prescribed posts had not been sanctioned. The petition linked the vacancies to the constitutional right under Article 21 and the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment relating to the Electricity Act, 2003.
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Jharkhand Among States Facing Vacancies
The States named as respondents include Jharkhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland, besides Jammu & Kashmir. According to the petition, the sanctioned positions in several states are only partly filled, limiting the ability of the regulatory commissions to function fully and address issues concerning electricity consumers.
Court Seeks Responses From All Respondents
In Jharkhand, a chairman has been appointed to the Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JSERC), but other sanctioned positions remain vacant, according to the petition. The Supreme Court ordered notices to all the states and Jammu & Kashmir named in the case. Their responses will now determine how the court proceeds on the wider issue of vacancies, sanctioned posts and the functioning of electricity regulators.
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