Haji Abdul Bari v SDO Sub Division QESCO,
YLR 2011 215 · Balochistan High Court
This case involved a property owner in Chaman who sued the local electricity supply company (QESCO/WAPDA) over disputed electricity bills. He owned shops, a hotel, and an inn that had been rented to various tenants. Electricity connections at these premises had been billed under different names, including tenants, and eventually disconnected. The owner argued he should not be held responsible for bills issued in his former tenants' names, claimed the charges were based on estimated rather than actual meter readings, and asked the court to order correction of records, restore his electricity connection, and stop demands for disputed dues until the billing was fixed. The trial court and the appellate court both dismissed his suit, partly on the basis that the law barred courts from hearing such matters.
The High Court clarified that the law only prevents courts from intervening in disconnection and restoration of electricity supply, not in other disputes against the supplier, so the lower courts were wrong to dismiss the entire suit as not maintainable. However, on the merits, the High Court found that as the property owner, the petitioner qualified as the "consumer" under the law and was responsible for outstanding charges regardless of tenancy arrangements. It also found he had unlawfully extended electricity to disconnected areas, violating supply conditions. Since he had not paid his dues and could not prove the billing was incorrect, the court upheld dismissal of his suit, including his request for reconnection.
یہ مقدمہ چمن کے ایک جائیداد کے مالک سے متعلق ہے جس نے مقامی بجلی فراہم کرنے والی کمپنی (کیسکو/واپڈا) کے خلاف متنازعہ بجلی کے بلوں پر مقدمہ دائر کیا تھا۔ اس کی ملکیت میں دکانیں، ایک ہوٹل اور ایک سرائے شامل تھی جو مختلف کرایہ داروں کو کرائے پر دی گئی تھیں۔ ان مقامات پر بجلی کے کنکشن مختلف ناموں سے، بشمول کرایہ داروں کے ناموں سے، بل کیے جاتے رہے اور بالآخر منقطع کر دیے گئے۔ مالک کا موقف تھا کہ اسے اپنے سابقہ کرایہ داروں کے ناموں پر جاری کیے گئے بلوں کا ذمہ دار نہیں ٹھہرایا جانا چاہیے، اس نے یہ دعویٰ بھی کیا کہ چارجز اصل میٹر ریڈنگ کے بجائے تخمینی بنیادوں پر لگائے گئے تھے، اور عدالت سے استدعا کی کہ ریکارڈ کی درستگی کا حکم دیا جائے، اس کا بجلی کنکشن بحال کیا جائے، اور جب تک بلنگ کی خرابی دور نہ ہو جائے، متنازعہ واجبات کے مطالبات روکے جائیں۔ ٹرائل کورٹ