🏛️ Adv Manu Gera – Electricity Law Practice

Though the firm’s website lacks dedicated details on electricity law, Advocate Khurana appears equipped to handle:

• Electricity-related disputes involving consumers, landlords, developers, and DISCOMs

• Legal challenges before the Punjab & Haryana High Court and other tribunals/regulatory bodies

• Advisory on tariff disputes, meter issues, billing irregularities, and regulatory compliance

📜 Legal Framework & Recent Updates

🔹 Electricity Act, 2003 & 2024–25 Amendments

• The Electricity Act, 2003 forms the core legal framework, covering generation, transmission, distribution, open access, and consumer rights. Amendment Rules issued in 2024 and drafted regulations for 2025 (under Section 176) bring key updates:

  • Delicensing of dedicated transmission lines for generation, storage systems, captive plants, or consumers above specified thresholds (25 MW interstate, 10 MW intrastate) Mondaq+10Moneycontrol+10The Times of India+10Mondaq+6Mondaq+6SolarQuarter+6.

  • Standardization and capping of open access charges, including wheeling, transmission, and additional surcharge over four years Mondaq+3Mondaq+3ETEnergyworld.com+3.

  • Tariffs required to be cost-reflective, with any shortfall capped at 3% of ARR and to be liquidated in max three yearly instalments Mondaq+1SolarQuarter+1.

• Time-of-Day Tariffs are now mandatory for industrial/commercial consumers (up to 10 kW) from April 2024 and for others from April 2025, with premiums for peak hours and discounts during solar hours The Times of India+2PRS Legislative Research+2The Times of India+2.

🔹 Draft Rules: Energy Storage Systems (ESS) & Markets

• The proposed Electricity (Amendment) Rules, 2025 include clarifications on Energy Storage Systems usage by consumers, aggregators, or service providers (responses invited by July 10, 2025) Mondaq+6Legality Simplified+6PRS Legislative Research+6.

• CERC has proposed amendments to the Power Market Regulations, 2025—introducing Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs), battery contracts, OTC trading instruments, and stricter platform net-worth requirements Reuters+1PRS Legislative Research+1.

🔹 Regulatory Oversight & Tribunal Jurisdiction

• The Supreme Court confirmed that State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) may regulate intra-state aspects of open access—even if power originates from another state—and approved reasonable advance-notice and scheduling penalties for grid discipline Legality Simplified+8SCC Online+8Legal Service India+8.

🏙️ Consumer Issues & Haryana / Punjab Context

⚖️ Haryana-Specific Regulatory Developments

• HERC recently ordered that common area maintenance (CAM) and diesel backup charges must be itemized separately and not bundled as part of electricity bills for housing societies. Electricity disconnections cannot follow for unpaid non-electricity dues; unlawful fixed charges must be refunded within three months The Times of India+1The Times of India+1.

• In Panchkula, residents report 100–400% electricity bill spikes despite minimal tariff hikes. A collective petition is being filed with HERC, arguing arbitrary billing and violation of principles under the Electricity Act, 2003 The Times of India+1The Times of India+1.

🏭 Industrial & Distribution Complaints

• The Confederation of Haryana Industrial Associations (CHIA) has criticized HERC-imposed tariff hikes, citing unreliable 24×7 power supply and demanding tariff rationalization or privatization of distribution companies The Times of India.

⚖️ Rights & Remedies: Legal Principles

• Electricity is deemed an essential service: Landlords or distribution agencies cannot lawfully disconnect supply to tenants without arrears or due legal process—even in cases of lease dispute or pending eviction proceedings SCC Online.

• Dispute resolution avenues include filing representations before the relevant State Commission (HERC/PSERC), and appeals to the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL); followed, if necessary, by escalation to the Supreme Court for substantial legal questions .