HC dismisses plea challenging Bescom’s smart meter mandate

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a writ petition questioning the compulsory installation of smart meters by the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom). After several rounds of hearings, Justice M. Nagaprasanna’s single-judge bench delivered its final order, rejecting the petition filed by Jayalakshmi and P.M. Harish. The court noted that the Advocate General had already given an assurance that old meters would not be forcibly replaced. Furthermore, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) raising the same issues is currently pending before a divisional bench. Since the PIL contains the same grounds as the writ petition, the single-judge bench held it inappropriate to decide the matter separately.

The case originated when Jayalakshmi, a resident of TB Narayanappa Layout in Doddaballapur, applied to upgrade the power connection in her newly constructed house from single-phase to three-phase. Bescom officials insisted she install a smart meter, issuing her a written notice. Challenging this, she moved the High Court, alleging the mandate was arbitrary. During earlier hearings, the court had temporarily stayed the installation and sharply questioned the state’s rationale for the policy. Justice Nagaprasanna had asked government counsel whether free power schemes were being used as a justification and, if so, how poor consumers would be protected. The bench had also issued notice to Bescom’s counsel to respond to the objections.

With today’s order, the writ petition stands dismissed, and the matter will now be addressed through the ongoing PIL. The decision effectively means that, while smart meters remain part of Bescom’s plan, their compulsory imposition on existing consumers is not legally sanctioned at this stage — pending the outcome of the larger PIL proceedings.