Powers of Appropriate Commission
Section 94 of the Electricity Act, 2003 deals with powers of Appropriate Commission. The Appropriate Commission shall, for the purposes of any inquiry or proceedings under this Act, have the same powers as are vested in a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908) in respect of the following matters, namely:-- (a) summoning and enforcing the attendance of any pe The Act came into force on 10 Jun 2003.
(1) The Appropriate Commission shall, for the purposes of any inquiry or proceedings under this Act, have the same powers as are vested in a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908) in respect of the following matters, namely:--
(a) summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him on oath;
(b) discovery and production of any document or other material object producible as evidence;
(c) receiving evidence on affidavits;
(d) requisitioning of any public record;
(e) issuing commission for the examination of witnesses;
(f) reviewing its decisions, directions and orders;
(g) any other matter which may be prescribed.
(2) The Appropriate Commission shall have the powers to pass such interim order in any proceeding, hearing or matter before the Appropriate Commission, as that Commission may consider appropriate.
(3) The Appropriate Commission may authorise any person, as it deems fit, to represent the interest of the consumers in the proceedings before it.
Section 94, 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.
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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Dsr Steel (p) LTD vs State of Rajasthan
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
In matters of statutory tariff fixation by regulatory commissions, the doctrine of promissory estoppel does not apply to prevent legitimate modification of incentive schemes when: (1) the scheme itself explicitly limits validity to a specified date or until tariff revision; (2) proper public notice and hearing is provided during tariff revision proceedings; (3) parties fail to demonstrate they made specific investments in reliance on an unequivocal representation of continuation; and (4) the modified scheme serves the larger public interest. The statutory function of regulatory commissions to fix tariffs in the public interest cannot be constrained by promissory estoppel. Additionally, under Section 125 of Electricity Act 2003, the period of limitation commences from the date of communication of the order, not its pronouncement, and when a review petition is dismissed without reversing the original order, the original order remains appealable.
On this section: Power to review orders of Regulatory Commission in certain circumstances
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.
Made under this section, and citing it
1 instrument states that it was made under this provision — the power to make it comes from here, so a change to any of them changes what this section requires in practice. Newest first.
Questions about Section 94
What have the courts held on Section 94 of the Electricity Act?
Dsr Steel (p) LTD vs State of Rajasthan (01 May 2012) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Power to review orders of Regulatory Commission in certain circumstances.
How do I find court cases under Section 94 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 94, section 94 Electricity Act 2003, section 94 of the Electricity Act. 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 Dsr Steel (p) LTD vs State of Rajasthan (01 May 2012).
What should I read with Section 94 of the Electricity Act, and has it changed?
2 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. The rules and notifications made under it are where it actually bites, and there is one: most recently The Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (Authorized Consumer Representative) Regulations, 2016 (2016).
When did Section 94 of the Electricity Act come into force?
Section 94 of the Electricity Act, cited as Electricity Act 2003 94, 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 16 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.