The Vidarbha Industries Association (VIA) believes Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. (MSEDCL) is illegally charging nearly 20% higher electricity tariff from consumers since April 1, 2025 to current date, which is a gross violation of judicial orders passed on Hon. Supreme Court on 17th Nov 2025.
According to Energy Cell Chairman R. B. Goenka, the legally valid tariff was fixed by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) on March 28, 2025, after public hearings involving 4,485 consumer submissions. This five-year tariff order (2025–30) had reduced rates for all categories including BPL and residential consumers.
However, MSEDCL later approached MERC seeking a review and an immediate stay. Despite VIA’s objection that the petition was not legally maintainable and required public hearing, MERC issued a revised tariff on June 25, 2025 without hearing consumers, resulting in an average 20% hike and making solar and renewable projects unviable due to TOD slot changes.
The Bombay High Court later on petition filed by VIA and others quashed the June 25 order, ruling that such major tariff changes cannot be made without stakeholder consultation, and ordered that the March 28 tariff should become applicable after four weeks of 3rd Nov 2025 High court order. MSEDCL challenged this in the Supreme Court, which on November 17, 2025, remanded the matter to MERC for fresh hearing to be completed for review process within 12 weeks time, while allowing the High Court directions to continue in particular matters.
VIA maintains that as per Hon Supreme Court, since 25th Jun order has been termed illegal and voi, original March 28 tariff must be implemented from 1st April & MSEDCL must refund the excess charges collected between April and November 2025.
VIA president Prashant Mohota says that this will ensure a big refund for category of consumers owing to favourable 28th March 2025 order vis-a-vis 25th Jun 2025 order.
Meanwhile, MSEDCL has now sought approval to recover an additional ₹11,751 crore from consumers to pay power generators such as RGGPL (Dabhol), Adani Power and Mahagenco. VIA has strongly opposed this demand, calling that Hon Supreme Court has termed Hon High court order which clearly stated the condition of review to be fulfilled by clearly mentioning the correction of any clerical, arithmetical mistakes or any accidental slips or omissions done during finalization of original petition and that too after proper public hearings. Only then the review legally would tenable.
Hence VIA has demanded immediate implementation of the March 28 tariff, rejection of the ₹11,751-crore recovery proposal, and strict compliance with court-mandated public consultation, warning that any further hike would severely burden Maharashtra’s households and industries.
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