S.J.MUKHOPADHAYA, J. - (1.) IN this writ case, the petitioner has challenged the electricity bills, as raised by the respondent Bihar State Electricity Board (now Jharkhand State Electricity Board -hereinafter to be referred as JSEB), contained in Annexure - 1, 2 series and 3 series to the writ petition. Further prayer has been made to direct the respondents to raise fresh bills, taking into consideration the fact that the bills have been raised by the respondents without any basis and without taking into consideration the meter reading and the inspection report.
(2.) ACCORDING to the petitioner, he got an electric connection from the respondent -Board for his shop of Generator parts, measuring an area of 10 ' x 14 ' vide Consumer No. CSBI B -543 category CS 2 at P.B. Road, Jugsalai, Jamshedpur. He used the electric points like 2 bulbs of 100 watt, one fan of 60 watt and two tube -light of 40 watt i.e. total 340 watt since 1989. Grievance of the petitioner is that the respondents raised electricity bills of the period, in question, arbitrarily, though from the year, 1944 up to March, 1997 they were raising bills showing consumption of 50 units per month on average basis. It is alleged that the bills for the months of April, 1997 onwards, for example the bills of April, 1997 November, 1998 and January, 1999 have been raised @ 500 units per month without any basis and without meter reading.
(3.) ACCORDING to the learned counsel for the Board, the electric connection of the petitioner was disconnected on account of non -payment of bill amount for Rs. 77041.88 paise. On inspection it was found that the petitioner was drawing electricity directly by hooking with the electrical line. The bill was, therefore, raised for such illegal withdrawal of electrical energy.;