The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the State government to appoint a legal member to Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) within three months.
Allowing appeals preferred by the State government and TNERC, a Division Bench of Justices S. S. Sundar and S. Srimathy observed that TNERC could pass final orders on tariff petitions filed by Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco)/Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation (Tantransco)/State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) without a legal member.
The State and the TNERC had preferred appeals against a Single Bench order that had restrained TNERC from passing the final orders on the electricity tariff (hike proposal) petitions, filed by Tangedco / Tantransco / SLDC till a legal member is appointed to the Commission. During the hearing in the appeal, the State government had submitted that the appointment of the legal member to TNERC was under active consideration.
While disposing of a batch of petitions, the Single Bench had observed that the Supreme Court had expressed its anguish on more than one occasion when the legal member vacancy was not filled up. When the Supreme Court had made it clear that there must be a member with legal background in the Commission, it cannot be ignored, the judge had said.
