PROF VINOD SAHAY Vs. BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LIMITED

JUDGEMENT

(1.) PETITIONER who is a consumer and as his telephone under the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited at Patna having his telephone no. as 262890 under the Pat - liputra Telephone Exchange, is aggrieved by Annexure -6, a bill of Rs. 14,647/ - raised by Bharat Sanchar Nigam dated 18.1.2001. He is further aggrieved by the order, by which his telephone has already been disconnected.

(2.) THE grievance of the petitioner is that during the aforesaid period, the petitioner who has retired as a Professor in English of Patna University was out of Station and his Flat in Patna was locked and as such, the telephone itself was under lock and key and could not have been used. It has further been contended that the petitioner has already got his S.T.D. line disconnected. Inspite of the same from the details of the bills which have been supplied to him, the entire bills have been raised from Trunk calls and not a single bill has been raised for any local call which further goes to show that no local call was made from the aforesaid telephone in question during the aforesaid period.

(3.) IN the facts of the case, in view of specific provision under section 7B of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 (hereinafter referred to as the 'Act ') if any dispute concerning any telegraph line, appliance or apparatus arises between the telegraph authority and the person for whose benefit the line, appliance or apparatus is, or has been provided, the dispute shall be determined by arbitration and shall, for the purposes of such determination, be referred to an arbitrator appointed by the Central Government either specially for the determination of that dispute or generally for the determination of the dispute under this section.