Appellate Tribunal for Electricity Invites Application for Judicial Member Recruitment 2022

The APTEL comprises a Chairperson who has been a Judge of the Supreme Court or Chief Justice of a High Court, one Judicial Member who has been or qualified to be a judge of High Court, two Technical Members who are electricity sector experts and one Technical Member who is an expert from petroleum and natural gas sector. Each bench has at least one Judicial and one Technical Member – creating a very effective combination of legal and industry (technical/financial) expertise. This has been an important factor responsible for effective and expeditious disposal of appeals within the stipulated time frame of 180 days.

The Appellate Tribunal was established at an appropriate time when the liberalisation of electricity industry under the Electricity Act was being implemented. Previously, the electricity activities were generally controlled by an integrated State Electricity Board. The State Electricity Boards have since been re-organised with generation, transmission and distribution of electricity being undertaken by different entities. There are also other significant developments in pursuance of the Electricity Act, 2003 such as de-regulation of generation, encouragement of captive generation, implementation of the concept of Open Access,involvement of substantial number of private generators and private players in other areas, electricity trading being allowed, involvement of Power Exchange, integration of the national grid etc. There has also been establishment of large power generating stations in pursuance of a Competitive Bid Process under Section 63 of the Electricity Act,2003. There has been, therefore, a natural growth of substantial litigations involving complex issues of unprecedented nature. These could not be adjudicated even under the bilateral arbitration because of the overall interest of the consumers, which is to be protected.