Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) along with the P.G. Department of Environmental Law and Legal Order, Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University (TNDALU) organised the third fortnightly interactive discussion session at the School of Excellence in Law Campus, Chennai on November 9th, 2023. The topic for the discussion was “Electricity Laws in India”.
The objective of the session was to understand the basic legal framework of Electricity Laws. Students discussed the relevance of these regulations. They also discussed the scope of electricity laws. Students further explored the impact of these laws on consumers of electricity. They also discussed the recent rise in cases of electrocution and safety regulations. They learnt about electricity as a subject on the concurrent list and the different laws at the national and state level.
Akshaya, Researcher CAG, Members of the study circle
After this, students engaged in understanding generation, transmission and distribution. They also looked at the preamble of Electricity Act, 2003. The discussion also touched on renewable energy and ways to promote the same.
Members of the study circle, SOEL
The session ended with a prolific debate on “electricity as a human right” where the students discussed:
- The right to electricity under Art. 21
- Case laws that recognised the right to electricity (Om Prakash v. Balkar Singh, Punjab & Haryana High Court; Sheik Mathar vs Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, Madras High Court)
- Electricity subsidies
- Rural electrification and energy poverty. According to the European Union, energy poverty occurs when a household cannot meet its electricity requirements.