SHREE LAKSHMI ICE MILLS MUZAFFARNAGAR Vs. EXECUTIVE ENGINEER ELECTRICITY MAINTENANCE DIVISION MUZAFFARNAGAR

JUDGEMENT

(1.) By means of this petition, the petitioner has prayed for a writ of certiorari quashing the impugned bills of demand in respect of electricity consumed by the petitioner.

(2.) Shortly stated the petitioner's case is that under the impugned bills the respondents are demanding from the petitioner an amount which is far in excess of the actual consumption as indicated by the meter fixed by the respondent. It is contended that the respondent is not entitled to demand any amount in Excess of the electricity consumption as indicated by the meter installed by the respondent.

(3.) In the counter-affidavit, the stand taken is that the respondent discovered from a reading of the meter fixed on the premises of the petitioner Mills that the actual consumption indicated by the meter was far below the real consumption. It was found that the main meter installed in the petitioner mill's premises for recording power consumption was running slow as compared to actual consumption of electricity. A check meter was consequently installed by the respondent on 17-6-77 in the presence of the representative of the petitioner Mills for testing the accuracy of the meter installed at the electrical installation of the petitioner. This check meter was allowed to run from 17-6-77 to 8-7-77 and was taken off again in the presence of the representative of the petitioner.