#Electricity billing dispute

The West Bengal State Consumer Commission holds that consumers must exhaust statutory grievance mechanisms under WBERC Regulations before approaching consumer forums for billing disputes. This clarifies the hierarchy of redressal avenues, preventing forum shopping and reinforcing regulatory exclusivity in electricity billing matters affecting millions of residential consumers.

Bombay High Court clarifies that a loose connection in an electricity meter does not qualify as a 'defective meter' under MERC Regulations, upholding MSEDCL's recovery of ₹16.83 lakh for the disputed period. The ruling reinforces that consumers cannot evade billing liability by citing technical defects unless the meter itself is proven defective.