Your power went out at 11 pm on a Saturday and stayed out till 4 am. The fridge defrosted, the inverter died after 90 minutes, and when supply finally returned a voltage surge fried your geyser circuit. The DISCOM call centre played hold music for 40 minutes and then promised “shortly”. This guide tells you exactly how much money the DISCOM owes you under the Standards of Performance Regulations of your State Electricity Regulatory Commission, plus the parallel route under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 for the burnt geyser.
Most citizens never claim because nobody told them the right was even there. The Standards of Performance (SoP) Regulations of every State Commission set a fixed compensation amount, payable per fault per hour beyond the published service-level agreement. The compensation is automatic in some states, demand-based in others, but always enforceable. This article walks through the law, the math, and the paperwork.
It was a Saturday in late June. Delhi was 44 degrees, and the family had finally cooled down to sleep at 11 pm when the lights went out. The BSES Rajdhani helpline put me on hold, the WhatsApp bot replied “Restoration ETA: shortly”, and the inverter beeped its low-battery alarm at 12:30 am. Supply returned at 3:55 am, and within ten seconds the geyser tripped the MCB. The control card was burnt. The repair quote the next day was Rs 4,200.
Two months later I had Rs 600 from BSES under SoP, plus Rs 4,200 and Rs 2,000 litigation cost from the District Consumer Commission, after a single hearing. The CGRF complaint took 12 days. The Consumer case took 4 months. The first step that unlocked everything was the call-centre complaint number from that night.
First 10 Minutes Drill (during the power cut):
Three layers of law govern power-cut compensation in India.
The CEA (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations 2010 and IS 12360 (BIS Voltage Bands) together set the voltage tolerance. Statutory tolerance is plus or minus 6 percent for low-voltage supply (230 V). A spike beyond this on restoration is per-se deficiency.
Every SERC SoP Regulation has a standard schedule:
Indicative table for top DISCOMs (verify SERC website for current figure):
The exact figure for your fault is the one printed in the SoP Regulation in force on that date. Always cite the regulation by name and notification date.
Tip: Download the SoP Regulation PDF from your SERC website and save it. The bare text of the table is your proof. CGRFs often try to “interpret” lower figures; the printed Schedule of the Regulation overrides any verbal interpretation.
Under Section 42(5) of the Electricity Act 2003, every distribution licensee must constitute a Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF). This is the first level of redress and is mandatory before approaching the SERC or Ombudsman.
If the CGRF dismisses or stays silent past 45 days, approach the Electricity Ombudsman of the SERC. The Ombudsman's order is final at the regulatory tier; further challenge lies only in writ to the High Court.
Voltage outside the permissible band on restoration (or during the outage) can fry your geyser, fridge compressor, AC inverter card, or refrigerator PCB. The legal anchor is twofold:
Pure SoP compensation under Section 57 is a fixed per-hour figure and does not cover the burnt appliance. The Consumer Commission route grants unliquidated damages: actual repair invoice plus mental harassment plus litigation cost. Cite the IS 12360 voltage band: 230 V plus or minus 6 percent is lawful. Anything beyond, recorded by a certified electrician's clamp meter or the DISCOM's load logger, is breach.
Send this within 7 days of the fault by email and by speed post (RPAD). Keep the postal acknowledgement. The notice creates the paper trail you will need at CGRF.
To, The Chief Executive Officer / Managing Director, [BSES Rajdhani Power Limited / Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited / Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited / BESCOM / MSEDCL / KSEB / KESCo], [Registered Address] [Email: as published on licensee website] Through: The Nodal Officer, Consumer Grievances, [Zonal Office] Subject: Demand for compensation under Section 57 of the Electricity Act 2003 read with [name of State SoP Regulation, year] Consumer Number: [your CA number] Complaint Number: [the ticket number from helpline call on night of fault] Date and duration of fault: [DD-MM-YYYY, HH:MM to HH:MM, total N hours] Address: [full service address as on bill] Sir / Madam, I am the registered consumer at the above address holding consumer number [XXXX]. On the night of [date], electricity supply at my premises was interrupted at [HH:MM] and was restored at [HH:MM], a total interruption of [N] hours [M] minutes. The complaint registered on the 24x7 helpline carries reference number [XXXX]. Under Schedule [II / I] of the [State SoP Regulation, year], the licensee is required to restore supply within [1 / 4 / 8] hours of a [normal / major] fault. The duration of [N] hours [M] minutes exceeds this Standard of Performance by [X] hours. I therefore demand compensation of Rs [rate] per hour for [X] hours of delay, totalling Rs [amount]. Additionally, on restoration at [time], a voltage surge damaged the [appliance] at my premises. The repair / replacement invoice is attached, and a certified electrician has confirmed the cause as a voltage spike outside the IS 12360 permissible band. I reserve my right to claim the cost of Rs [appliance cost] separately under the Consumer Protection Act 2019. Kindly credit the SoP compensation to my next bill within 30 days, failing which I will approach the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum under Section 42(5) of the Electricity Act 2003. Yours faithfully, [Name] [Address] [Email and mobile] [Date] Enclosures: 1. Copy of last electricity bill 2. Screenshot of helpline complaint number 3. Photograph of meter at time of outage 4. Repair / replacement invoice for damaged appliance 5. Certified electrician's report (if available)
If you want the regulator to audit your DISCOM's SoP compliance and to generate the data trail for a public-interest case, file this RTI. The SERC is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act 2005.
To, The Public Information Officer, [Delhi / Maharashtra / Karnataka / Kerala / Uttar Pradesh / Tamil Nadu] Electricity Regulatory Commission, [Registered Address] Application under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act 2005 Subject: SoP compliance audit of [DISCOM name] for the period [FY 2024-25 / quarter ending DD-MM-YYYY] Sir / Madam, I am a consumer of [DISCOM]. I seek the following information under the Right to Information Act 2005: 1. Total number of SoP compensation claims received by [DISCOM] for power-cut violations during [period]. 2. Number of claims paid, number rejected, and the total compensation amount paid (in Rs). 3. SoP compliance audit report submitted by [DISCOM] to the Commission under Regulation [number] of the [State SoP Regulation, year] for [FY/quarter]. 4. Number of CGRF complaints received and disposed against [DISCOM] during [period], with median disposal time. 5. List of show-cause notices, if any, issued by the Commission to [DISCOM] under Section 142 of the Electricity Act 2003 for SoP non-compliance, with copies of orders. 6. The percentage SAIDI and SAIFI reliability indices reported by [DISCOM] for the period, and the corresponding penalty / incentive adjustment in the tariff order. The information is sought in soft copy. If any document exceeds the prescribed Section 7(1) limit, please intimate the cost under Section 7(3) within 30 days. Application fee of Rs 10 is enclosed by Indian Postal Order. I am a citizen of India and confirm that no part of this information falls under Section 8 or Section 9 of the RTI Act 2005. Yours faithfully, [Name] [Address] [Email and mobile] [Date]
For help drafting variants of this RTI for any state, use the AI RTI Drafter. It auto-fills the public authority address, fee, and statutory citations.
Tip: File the RTI in parallel with your CGRF complaint, not after. The 30-day RTI window often produces the SAIDI/SAIFI data and the audit-non-compliance evidence before the CGRF hearing date, strengthening your case at the same hearing.
For DISCOM Ombudsman, the address is published in the SoP Regulation itself and on the SERC website under “Ombudsman”.
The leading precedent is Ajay Mathur v. BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd (Delhi SCDRC, 2018), where the State Commission held that a 14-hour outage breaching DERC SoP entitled the consumer to Section 57 compensation and Consumer Protection Act damages for an inverter battery destroyed by deep discharge. The two remedies are concurrent, not alternative.
In MSEDCL v. Lloyds Steel Industries (Bombay High Court, 2008), the Court held that a licensee cannot escape SoP compensation by pleading “force majeure” unless the Load Despatch Centre formally declared a grid event in writing. The Supreme Court in Northern Power Distribution Co of Telangana v. P V Krishnaiah Setty (Civil Appeal 5781 of 2010) held that SoP Regulations notified under Section 57 have statutory force; an internal “service charter” cannot dilute them.
For tools: the AI RTI Drafter generates the SERC RTI in 60 seconds, and the Citizen Concern Resolution Network (CCRN) hub maps your DISCOM's CGRF, Ombudsman, and SERC contact in one click.
Tip: Even if the compensation amount is small (Rs 200 to Rs 800 for a typical 4 to 8 hour cut), file the CGRF complaint. Every paid claim is logged in the DISCOM's SAIDI/SAIFI reliability data, which feeds the next tariff petition. Your Rs 200 today is the regulator's basis to deny the licensee a tariff hike tomorrow.
Under most State SoP Regulations, the cap is 1 hour urban and 4 hours rural for a normal fault, and 8 to 24 hours for a major fault. Beyond this window, per-hour compensation kicks in at the SoP rate (Rs 50 to Rs 200 per hour typically).
In some states (Maharashtra, parts of Delhi) it is auto-credited on licensee self-certification. In most states it is demand-based. A written demand within 7 days under Section 57 is always the safest route.
No. Section 42(5) makes CGRF mandatory. The State Commission will return any direct petition. After 45 days of CGRF inaction, approach the Electricity Ombudsman of the SERC.
The DISCOM, under Consumer Protection Act 2019 read with Section 57 if the voltage on restoration was outside the IS 12360 band (230 V plus or minus 6 percent). File at the District Consumer Commission with the repair invoice and a certified electrician's report on cause.
Yes if the tenant pays the bill and the meter address matches the tenancy. Attach rent agreement and bill payment proof. CGRF cannot reject for absence of name on the meter alone.
Send a WhatsApp and email to the official 24×7 channel within 30 minutes of the cut, with consumer number, address, and start time. The auto-acknowledgement (delivery tick or auto-reply) is accepted by CGRF as equivalent to a helpline ticket.
This article is part of the Citizen Concern Resolution Network (CCRN) on RTI Wiki, a citizen-help library curated by the RTI Wiki editorial team. Sample drafts are templates; verify the SoP Regulation in force in your state on the date of the fault before quoting figures in formal proceedings.