Order passed by MSERC Amenable to Appeal u/s. 111 of Electricity Act as No Natural Justice Violation or Jurisdictional Error Found: Meghalaya HC

The Meghalaya High Court has ruled that an order passed by the Meghalaya State Electricity Regulatory Commission (MSERC) is subject to appeal under Section 111 of the Electricity Act, 2003. The court dismissed a petition challenging the order, stating that it found no evidence of a violation of the principles of natural justice or any jurisdictional error by the MSERC. The court clarified that its writ jurisdiction should not be invoked when an effective alternative statutory remedy, in this case, an appeal to the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL), is available. The High Court emphasized that it would only interfere with the order of a specialized tribunal like the MSERC if there were clear grounds of procedural impropriety or if the tribunal had acted beyond its legal authority. Since no such grounds were established, the petitioner was directed to pursue the prescribed appellate process.