Allahabad HC directs restoration of Sambhal MP's power connection

The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd to restore the electricity connection at Samajwadi Party MP Zia-Ur Rehman's house, provided he deposits a permissible amount of Rs 6 lakh to maintain his appeal.

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A division bench, comprising Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh and Justice Sandeep Jain, passed the order on a writ petition filed by the Sambhal MP in the electricity theft case and gave Rehman two weeks to deposit the money.

"Submission is that even if the inspection report and adverse facts allegedly found therein are accepted, no jurisdiction arose with the respondent authorities to make assessment for a period of 12 years," the court observed in its June 4 order.

"The maximum period for which assessment may have been made could not exceed one year. By breaching the statutory period of assessment, wholly unnatural and arbitrary demand of Rs 1.91 crore has been raised. The petitioner cannot be made to deposit 50% of such illegal demand to maintain an appeal," the court said.

The petitioner, Rehman, through its counsel, submitted that he is willing to deposit Rs 6 lakh to maintain his appeal.

The court granted the Corporation three weeks to file a reply in the matter and fixed the next hearing for July 2.

In December 2024, the electricity department imposed a fine of Rs 1.91 crore on the MP following an inspection at his residence in Sambhal's Deepa Sarai area, where the officials allegedly discovered power theft.