New Delhi: A Delhi court has found a man guilty of stealing electricity and fined him Rs 1.72 lakh. The court said there was clear evidence that he was illegally drawing power from a nearby electricity pole at his home in south Delhi.
Additional Sessions Judge Vivek Kumar Gulia convicted Kuldeep under the Electricity Act after a complaint was filed by BSES Rajdhani Power Limited.
The case goes back to August 25, 2020, when a team from BSES inspected Kuldeep’s house in Katwaria Sarai. During the inspection, they found that there was no electricity meter installed. Instead, power was being taken directly from a distribution pole using an illegal wire.
The inspection team estimated that electricity worth about Rs 1.27 lakh had been used, but the bill was never paid.
During the trial, members of the inspection team told the court that there was no legal connection at the house and that electricity theft was clearly taking place. The entire inspection was also recorded on video, which supported their claims.
The court noted that the video showed how the theft was happening. It also pointed out that Kuldeep admitted to the theft during his statement.
The defence argued that Kuldeep was not connected to the property, but the court rejected this claim. It said he was present during the inspection, was identified by witnesses, and could not prove that he lived elsewhere. The court also noted that he had settled two earlier cases linked to the same property.
Based on all the evidence, the court said the charges were proven beyond doubt and held him guilty.
While deciding the punishment, the court asked Kuldeep to pay a civil liability of Rs 1.14 lakh. Since he had already paid Rs 24,600 during the trial, he now has to pay the remaining Rs 90,344.
The court did not send him to jail, considering his clean record and partial payment. Instead, it imposed a fine of Rs 1.72 lakh, saying this would be enough as punishment.
Kuldeep has been given 60 days to appeal the decision. During this time, the court has granted him bail on a personal bond of Rs 15,000.
(with inputs from agencies)
