3-year jail for power theft

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 2

“Theft of electric energy for financial gains has achieved gigantic proportions and this practice causes loss not only to the State Exchequer but also puts a pressure on the honest consumers,” observed the Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Dr Gagan Geet Kaur, while awarding three-year imprisonment to a resident of Sector 28, Chandigarh, for tampering with the electricity meter by breaking the seals and that too twice.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict, identified as Hareet Singh Gill.

The court also observed: “Any person indulging in such activities does not deserve any leniency. This court is of the considered opinion that this is economic offence wherein society as a whole is victim and honest payers of electricity charges are sufferers on account of the proved conduct of the convict, such convicts are getting unearned benefits, and as such they deserve no leniency.”

According to the prosecution, Rakesh Mahajan, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), Electricity, made a complaint of electricity theft under Section 135 of the Electricity Act against Hareet Singh Gill, a resident of Sector 28-A, on January 5, 2016.

In the complaint, the SDO stated that meter (CHEP 21483) of consumer Hareet Singh was checked, packed and sealed by the Enforcement Wing of the Electricity Department on June 21, 2013, on account of doubt on authenticity of seals. 

The meter was checked on November 25, 2013, in a laboratory of the Electricity Department. The seals of the meter were found tampered with and working of the meter was found slow. Being the first time offence, the compounding charges were recovered from the consumer as per Section152 of the Electricity Act. But again, meter (CHEP 59532) of the consumer was checked and packed on April 13, 2015, on account of broken and tempered seals and the meter was checked on December 29, 2015, in the laboratory of the Electricity Department. 

Again, the seals were found tampered with and working of the meter was found slow by more than 66 per cent and extra electronics circuit was found connected with the meter. 

After the consumer tampered with the meter for the second time, a case under Section 135 of the Electricity Act was registered against Gill and investigation initiated.