Court Moved Against AAP’s 50 pc Waiver On Power Arrears

The Delhi High Court will hear a plea on Friday against the decision of Arvind Kejriwal-led city government to give 50 percent waiver on pending electricity bills of 24,036 consumers, who had stopped paying their dues during their “bijli satyagraha”. The public interest litigation (PIL), filed by advocate Vivek Narayan Sharma, also sought quashing the Delhi government’s decision to close power theft cases registered against 2,508 consumers last year.

The plea said that such action of the government was like “sponsoring and abetting criminal/terrorism acts and acts against rule of law and constitution”. Shortly after its formation, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched ‘bijli satyagraha’ alleging that power bills in Delhi are inflated and as part of the campaign, Kejriwal urged people of Delhi to stop paying their power bills, the plea said.

About 24,036 power consumers in Delhi stopped paying their power bills in Delhi, reportedly from October 2012 to December 2013. During this period, the authorities disconnected a total of 2,508 electricity meters for non-payment of bills and these people started to steal power. The PIL said numerous theft cases were initiated and are pending in the courts.

On Wednesday, AAP took a decision to provide 50 percent waiver on pending bills of 24,036 power consumers, and also decided to waive off the penalties for default. The plea claimed that the AAP and its leaders were enticing the public to follow no rule, and the estimated loss to public exchequer because of the move was around Rs.6 crore.