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Section 6: Joint responsibility of State Government and Central Government in rural electrification

Electricity Act • Official Statutory Text & Practice Guide

Statutory Regulation
Legal Standard
Competent Court / Tribunal
Act 2003
Section 5 All 185 Sections of Electricity Act Section 7

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 6

Section 6 of the Electricity Act, 2003 imposes a mandatory statutory endeavor upon the Appropriate Government and distribution licensees to supply electricity to all rural areas, including villages and hamlets, enshrining access to basic electrical power as an integral element of socio-economic justice.

  • Joint Statutory Duty for Rural Electrification: Imposes an affirmative, joint statutory obligation on the Appropriate Government and distribution licensees to extend electricity distribution systems to every inhabited rural settlement.
  • Targeted Infrastructure Expansion across Hamlets: Mandates the progressive physical installation of distribution transformers, lines, and metering systems to bridge rural-urban energy divides and eradicate power poverty.
  • Constitutional Nexus with Article 21 Rights: Translates the constitutional mandate of equal access to basic civic amenities into an enforceable statutory duty, binding state distribution monopolies to supply rural households.
Key Landmark Precedents:
  • K.C. Ninan v. Kerala State Electricity Board 2023 SCC OnLine SC 663: A 3-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court recognized that access to electricity is an indispensable facet of the right to life and livelihood under Article 21, affirming that statutory distribution licensees operate under a public trust duty to deliver universal access.
  • M.P. Electricity Board v. Harsh Wood Products (1996) 4 SCC 522: The Supreme Court affirmed that public electricity boards hold statutory distribution duties that require non-discriminatory service delivery across industrial, commercial, and rural domestic consumer segments.
Courtroom Practice & Strategic Litigation Guidance:

In consumer class actions or public interest litigations before High Courts seeking electrification of unelectrified rural settlements, pair Section 6 with Article 21 of the Constitution to obtain writ of mandamus directing state distribution licensees to prepare and execute time-bound electrification schemes.

Section 5 All 185 Sections of Electricity Act Section 7