Cognizance of offences
Section 151 of the Electricity Act, 2003 deals with cognizance of offences. No court shall take cognizance of an offence punishable under this Act except upon a complaint in writing made by the Appropriate Government or Appropriate Commission or any of their officer authorised by them or a Chief Electrical Inspector or an Electrical Inspector or licensee or the generating c The Act came into force on 10 Jun 2003.
No court shall take cognizance of an offence punishable under this Act except upon a complaint in writing made by the Appropriate Government or Appropriate Commission or any of their officer authorised by them or a Chief Electrical Inspector or an Electrical Inspector or licensee or the generating company, as the case may be, for this purpose.
1[Provided that the court may also take cognizance of an offence punishable under this Act upon a report of a police officer filed under section 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974):
Provided further that a special court constituted under section 153 shall be competent to take cognizance of an offence without the accused being committed to it for trial.]
STATE AMENDMENT
Karnataka
Substitution of section 151.--For section 151 of the Electricity Act, 2003 (Central Act 36 of 2003), the following shall be substituted, namely:--
"151. Institution of prosecution.--No prosecution, shall be instituted against may person for any offence under this Act or any rule, regulation, licence or order made or issued there under, except at the instance of the State Government or a licencee or a generating company under the Act or an officer authorised in this behalf by the State Government or a licencee or a generating company or by any person affected by the act alleged to constitute the offence."
[Vide Karnataka Act 12 of 2006, s. 2]
Maharashtra
Substitution of section 151 of Act 36 of 2003.---For section 151 of the Electricity Act, 2003 (36 of 2003), in its application to the State of Maharashtra (hereinafter referred to as "the principal Act"), the following section shall be substituted, namely:--
"151. Cognizance of offences.--No court shall take cognizance of an offence punishable under this Act except,--
(a) upon a complaint in writing made by Appropriate Government or Appropriate Commission or any of their officer authorised by them or a Chief Electrical Inspector or an Electrical Inspector or a licensee or the generating company, as the case may be, for this purpose; or
(b) upon a police report of facts which constitute an offence:
Provided that, such police report is based on the First Information Report filed a person who is authorised to file a complaint under clause (a).
[Vide Maharashtra Act 36 of 2005, s. 2]
Section 151, 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.
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Vishal Agrawal v. Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Judgment of Main Case order-27.pdf 2014-01-29. Crl.A. 275/2014. A.K. Sikri. DATE-CHECK false positive (2006-03-23/30/31 served dates); body is the named Sikri reportable on Electricity 151 cognizance. Police may register an FIR and investigate theft under s.135; the 2007 amendment to s.151 (cognizance on a written complaint of an authorised officer) is clarificatory and does not oust police investigation. Do not pad 135 (the charged offence; isolate is cognizance).
On this section: Electricity 151: police may register an FIR and investigate s.135 theft; the 2007 written-complaint amendment is clarificatory and does not oust investigation (Vishal Agrawal). Do not pad 135.
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 151
What have the courts held on Section 151 of the Electricity Act?
Vishal Agrawal v. Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (29 Jan 2014) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Electricity 151: police may register an FIR and investigate s.135 theft; the 2007 written-complaint amendment is clarificatory and does not oust investigation (Vishal Agrawal). Do not pad 135.
How do I find court cases under Section 151 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 151, section 151 Electricity Act 2003, section 151 of the Electricity Act. People searching for it also type electricity act 2003 section 151. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Vishal Agrawal v. Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (29 Jan 2014).
What should I read with Section 151 of the Electricity Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 153 (Constitution of Special Courts), so none of them can safely be read on its own.
When did Section 151 of the Electricity Act come into force?
Section 151 of the Electricity Act, cited as Electricity Act 2003 151, 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 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.