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Section 74: Power to require statistics and returns

Electricity Act • Official Statutory Text & Practice Guide

Statutory Regulation
Legal Standard
Competent Court / Tribunal
Act 2003
Section 73 All 185 Sections of Electricity Act Section 75

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 74

Section 74 of the Act empowers the Central Electricity Authority to require statistics, data, and returns from any generating company, licensee, or consumer, creating an authoritative national power database.

  • Comprehensive Statistical Collection Power: Authorizes the CEA to compel the submission of generation logs, fuel consumption records, tariff data, and transmission loading profiles.
  • Mandatory Compliance Duty on All Utilities: Obligates all power utilities across private, central, and state sectors to furnish accurate returns within prescribed timeframes.
  • Penal Sanctions for Suppression of Data: Exposes defaulting entities to financial penalties and prosecution under the Act for willfully furnishing false returns or suppressing data.
Key Landmark Precedents:
  • PTC India Ltd. v. CERC (2010) 4 SCC 603: Supreme Court recognized that accurate statistical data gathered under Section 74 is indispensable for national generation forecasting and grid stability.
  • Energy Watchdog v. CERC (2017) 14 SCC 80: Affirmed the evidentiary reliability of CEA operational data in assessing plant load factors and coal consumption.
  • Tata Power Co. Ltd. v. Reliance Energy Ltd. (2009) 16 SCC 659: Affirmed that data transparency is vital to fair regulatory oversight.
Courtroom Practice & Strategic Litigation Guidance:

Power plant regulatory desks must ensure monthly generation, fuel stock, and heat rate data are transmitted to the CEA portal before the statutory deadline to avoid show-cause citations under Section 74.

Section 73 All 185 Sections of Electricity Act Section 75