The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (Aptel) on Monday directed the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (Derc) to begin recovering ₹38,500 crore in pending dues from power distribution companies within three weeks. Rejecting Derc's request to defer until July, the tribunal called the delay unreasonable and mandated an independent chartered accountant. Power Minister Ashish Sood assured that the government will not let this impact the public.
The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (Aptel) rejected Derc's request to defer the recovery process until July 2, terming the delay "unreasonable and unacceptable". The tribunal stated there is no legal hurdle to starting the recovery and warned that further postponement would increase the burden on consumers.
These pending dues, known as regulatory assets, have accumulated over the years as power tariffs were not revised despite rises in fuel costs and repairs, officials said. They are typically recovered from consumers through a surcharge on electricity bills. "The Delhi government will take a final decision on how to settle the pending dues, either by increasing power tariffs or by any other means," an official said.
Power Minister Ashish Sood maintained that the government "will not let this impact the public". Blaming the previous AAP government and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the dues due to corruption, he added, "We are exploring legal routes and will get CAG to audit the discoms on why such huge pending dues have been collected."
According to Derc's January submission to Aptel, the total outstanding regulatory assets stand at Rs 38,552 crore. Of this, Rs 19,174 crore pertains to BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, Rs 12,333 crore to BSES Yamuna Power Limited, and Rs 7,046 crore to Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited. Aptel turned down Derc's proposal for a CAG audit, noting that while the Supreme Court ordered a "strict and intensive audit" on August 6, 2025, it did not specify CAG. It directed Derc to appoint an independent CA within a week.