The Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum said that the "arbitrary and illegal" act of the discom of sending an inflated bill of over Rs 81,000 to the complainant, Zarina Khatoon, amounts to "deficiency" of service and "illegal trade practice."

"The bill raised by the respondent is quiet arbitrary and illegal and the amount which has been fastened upon the complainant is not at all recoverable from the complainant.

It is a clear case of deficiency and at the same time the action of the respondent is illegal and amount to illegal trade practice," said N A Zaidi, President of the forum.

The forum directed the discom to remove the arrears of more than Rs 78,000 which were billed to her connection and to issue her a fresh bill of the actual electricity consumed.

The order of the forum, came on a plea by Zarina, a North-East Delhi resident, seeking restoration of electricity supply and withdrawal of arrears of Rs 78,324.77 and other charges billed to her.

She had contended that in November 2010 she received a bill of Rs 81,530, even though the only pending bill was of October 2010 for Rs 1,460.

She also stated that no reason was given for the inflated billing and when she approached the discom to revise the bill, no action was taken and in March 2011 her power supply was disconnected.

BSES Yamuna on the other hand alleged that power supply was illegally given to a disconnected connection of one Fareed Ahmad from the connection of complainant and hence they had transferred his pending dues to the complainant.

The forum, however, brushed aside the contention of the discom, saying that since the premises of Fareed was not in the neighbourhood of the complainant, electricity could not have been supplied to Fareed.

"It is strange when the two connections are not installed on the same premises and the two premises are distance apart from each other, how the dues of Fareed Ahmed can be transferred on the connection of Arshad Ali?