New Delhi, September 1, 2006

Press Release 

Special Court to adjudicate power theft cases inaugurated

Will help curb alarming electricity theft menace in the national capital 

• BSES to get three dedicated Special Courts – two for BRPL and one for BYPL
• These Courts are dedicated for trying power theft cases
• First of the three Courts inaugurated today at Patparganj for BYPL
• Second of the three Courts scheduled for inauguration on 2 September for BRPL
• So far BYPL and BRPL have filed over 1200 and 700 cases in Special Courts respectively

 Power thieves beware! Justice Delayed is Justice Denied. This proverbial saying is expected to no longer hold true any more for power theft cases.  Justice will no longer be delayed as the courts would ensure that honest customers do not pay for the sins of others.

 A total of three Special Courts – two for BRPL and one for BYPL – dedicated for trying power theft cases are all set to give the required impetus to BSES’ enforcement activities. The first of the Special Courts was inaugurated today at Patparganj by Hon’ble Justice Shri Vijender Jain, Acting Chief Justice, Delhi High Court in a simple but an impressive ceremony. Those present on the occasion included Hon’ble Justices Dr M K Sharma, Shri R S Sodhi, Shri S K Kaul, Shri Rakesh Mehta. Principal Secretary (Power), GoNCTD,  senior government and BSES officials.

 Of the two remaining Courts – one (a first for BRPL) is all set to be inaugurated tomorrow at Vikaspuri. The third Court (and second for BRPL) is expected to be come up shortly at Malviya Nagar.

 According to Shri Lalit Jalan, CEO BRPL “Setting up of Special Courts – exclusively for trying power theft cases is an important landmark in the process of power privitisation in Delhi. Stealing electricity, a scare resource, is not only an criminal offence but a major hurdle towards reaping the fruits of development.” 

According to Shri Arun Kanchan, CEO BYPL, “The five existing Special Courts were not exclusive for power theft cases. They took up cases other than those related to power theft and they heard power theft cases only on few days in a week. But these new Special Courts would only deal with power theft cases on all working days and thereby ensure their quick resolution.”

 According to a BSES spokesperson “Setting up of these Special Courts will also act a major deterrent to people who steal power. Since January 2005 – when the existing Special Courts (BRPL-2 and BYPL-1) came into existence, BYPL and BRPL have filed around 1200 and 700 cases in Special Courts respectively” and added “Since 2002, BSES has booked over 43,000 cases of power theft and detected a theft load of over 2.65 lakh KW”

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

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