Relief to 3,500 families at Electricity Lok Adalat

For three years, 50-year-old Munni kept shunting in and out of the BSES office to settle her electricity bill amounting to a whopping Rs 5.97 lakh. However, on Sunday, Munni, who has five daughters and an ailing husband, heaved a sigh of relief, when additional district judge Arun Kumar Arya settled her case. Sumit Saxena reports.

For three years, 50-year-old Munni kept shunting in and out of the BSES office to settle her electricity bill amounting to a whopping Rs 5.97 lakh. However, on Sunday, Munni, who has five daughters and an ailing husband, heaved a sigh of relief, when additional district judge Arun Kumar Arya settled her case.

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At the weekend Electricity Lok Adalat held at the Delhi High Court (HC) and six district courts in the city, Arya asked Munni to pay Rs 2lakh in interest-free instalments. “Keeping in mind Munni's current financial situation, BSES is directed to recover their dues in easy instalments, so that she is not harassed any further,” said the judge.

A visibly relieved Munni broke down in court and appreciated the stand taken by the judge. She had approached the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in 2007, seeking relief against corrupt practices by BSES officials, who produced an inflated bill against her husband's small-scale factory.

Like Munni, nearly 3,500 other families got relief in long-pending cases pertaining to electricity disputes at the weekend Electricity Lok Adalat.

Delhi HC judges held a special hearing to clear writ petitions related to electricity disputes. “Forty-two cases were resolved by a bench of three HC judges,” said Gautam Manan, project officer, DLSA. Besides, 54 motor accident tribunal cases were resolved and a compensation of R1.20 crore was awarded to victims' families.