The electricity tariff hike goes before the Court of Appeal

The Cabinet decision, dated January 9, 2023, is beyond their legal power, say, petitioners. A public interest litigation was today filed in the Court of Appeal seeking an order quashing the Cabinet Decision approving the proposed electricity tariff revision. The Electricity and Renewable Energy Association and the Centre for Environmental Justice filed this writ petition, naming the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the Cabinet of Ministers, and the Attorney General as respondents. The petitioners state that the amended General Policy Guidelines for the electricity industry and the proposed electricity tariffs approved by the Cabinet of Ministers had bypassed the provisions of the Sri Lanka Electricity Act and the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Act and undermined the functions of the PUCSL, the Regulatory Authority. The petitioners claimed that the said Cabinet decision, dated January 9, 2023, is beyond their legal power. The petitioners alleged that the Cabinet decisions dated January 9, 2023, are contrary to the provisions of Section 30 of the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, the Electricity (Procedure for Review and Adjustment of Tariffs) Rule, and the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Act, which stipulate provisions for the PUCSL to approve the proposed tariff, for consumers and other interested parties to participate in the procedure for review, and to protect the rights of all consumers.