New Delhi, July 21, 2006

Press Release

Patiala House rejects anticipatory bail for Sangam Vihar SPD Contractor

Arrest warrant issued against absconding SPD contractor

SPD contractor and accused brutally assault BSES team

·           FIR filed u/s 341/323/353/332/186/506 and 34 for assault, wrongful confinement, causing serious physical injury and obstruction             of duty.

·           Patiala House Additional Judge rejects anticipatory bail of the SPD contractor

·           Arrest warrants issued against the SPD contractor – who is absconding

·           2 other accused sent to 14 days judicial custody

Today, on 21 July, Justice V K Bansal – Additional Session Judge at the Patiala High Court, rejected Sangam Vihar SPD Contractor - Kamesh Aggarwal’s anticipatory bail application and issued arrest warrants. In the same case (July 21, 2006), Metropolitan Magistrate Justice Jagdish Kumar sentenced two accused in the same matter – Vijay and Hridesh to 14 days judicial custody.

The FIR (No 714/6) lodged by BSES at the Sangam Vihar Police Station under IPC sections 341/323/353/332/186/506 and 34  is against four people for a plethora of charges including – assault, wrongful confinement, causing serious physical injury and obstruction of duty. Two of the four people named have been arrested and the police is on the look out for the other two.

Kamesh Aggarwal, one of the 22 SPD contractors, operating in the Sangam Vihar area, in the vicinity of the posh Saket and Sainik Farm that is inhabited by over 25,000 people. As a SPD contractor, Aggarwal, besides distributing electricity to 1000 residents (after buying it in bulk from BSES) was also supposed to collect payments from the residents and pay BSES as per the agreement. Aggarwal however regularly defaulted and ignored several reminders/disconnection notices sent by the company. BSES was therefore constrained to disconnect the supply as Kamesh Aggarwal failed to pay up the pending dues mounting beyond Rs 35 lakhs.

On the evening of July 17, 2006 a team from BSES went to disconnect the power supply of this SPD contractor. At this point, Kamesh Aggarwal along with three other goons attacked the BSES team, resulting in critical injuries to the Assistant Manager T .R Benival and Junior Engineer Annant Saran who had to be hospitalized.

“There have been several complaints against SPD contractors – for exploiting the power consumers served by them. BSES has come across cases, where SPD contractors have been found to be indulging in power theft by bypassing the company meter and charging a higher rates than those prescribed by DERC from the residents and even assaulting BSES teams. Taking cognizance of these complaints, BSES has been initiating strong legal action against the erring contractors. In the past four years, contracts of more than 250 SPD’s have been terminated and their customers have willingly taken up BSES connection in such colonies. BSES has invested over Rs 200 crores in strengthening the electrical system of such underprivileged sections of society for ensuring quality of power supply and for the customer benefits.”

BSES, Delhi’s premier power distribution company, is committed to ensuring quality and reliable electricity supply to all its consumers.

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