Civil courts not to have jurisdiction
Section 145 of the Electricity Act, 2003 deals with civil courts not to have jurisdiction. No civil court shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceeding in respect of any matter which an assessing officer referred to in section 126 or an appellate authority referred to in section 127 or the adjudicating officer appointed under this Act is empowered by or under this Act to det The Act came into force on 10 Jun 2003.
No civil court shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceeding in respect of any matter which an assessing officer referred to in section 126 or an appellate authority referred to in section 127 or the adjudicating officer appointed under this Act is empowered by or under this Act to determine and no injunction shall be granted by any court or other authority in respect of any action taken or to be taken in pursuance of any power conferred by or under this Act.
Section 145, The Electricity Act, 2003 (Act 36 of 2003).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
-
Anaglit Ammal v. Tamil Nadu Electricity Board
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
s.145 bars civil suits only for matters of assessment under s.126 or appeal under s.127; it does not bar recovery/execution of decrees relating to theft of energy under s.135 or Supply-Code recovery, so a judgment-debtor cannot defeat execution by invoking s.145.
On this section: s.145 bar is limited to ss.126/127 assessment track; does not nullify civil recovery decrees for s.135 theft dues.
-
B.L. Kantroo v. BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Electricity Act s.145 bars civil suits/proceedings on matters entrusted to assessing/appellate/adjudicating officers under ss.126/127 and forbids injunctions against actions under the Act; a suit challenging assessment and seeking injunction against disconnection is therefore rejected under O7 R11 CPC.
On this section: s.145 ousts civil suit + injunction against assessment/disconnection under the Act.
-
Ahmedabad Electricity Co. Ltd. v. Ambubhai Swami Naidu & Anr.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Following Torrent Power AEC v. Gayatri Intermediates, s.145 civil-court ouster does not apply where energy theft was detected before 10.12.2004 (pre-Conditions-of-Supply transition); civil court retains jurisdiction but must apply Kiran Industries injunction principles.
On this section: s.145 bar is temporally limited: pre-10.12.2004 detections remain in civil-court jurisdiction.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Questions about Section 145
What have the courts held on Section 145 of the Electricity Act?
Anaglit Ammal v. Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (10 Jul 2020) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.145 bar is limited to ss.126/127 assessment track; does not nullify civil recovery decrees for s.135 theft dues. Another 2 judgments on this section are set out below. They run from 2006 to 2020.
How do I find court cases under Section 145 of the Electricity Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Electricity Act 2003 145, section 145 Electricity Act 2003, section 145 of the Electricity Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 3 reported judgments on this section are set out on this page, beginning with Anaglit Ammal v. Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (10 Jul 2020).
What should I read with Section 145 of the Electricity Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 126 (Assessment), section 127 (Appeal to Appellate Authority), so none of them can safely be read on its own.
When did Section 145 of the Electricity Act come into force?
Section 145 of the Electricity Act, cited as Electricity Act 2003 145, came into force on 10 Jun 2003, having been enacted on 26 May 2003. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 14 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.