Karnataka High Court Rejects Pleas Against Mandatory Smart Electricity Meters, Says Identical Matter Pending Before Division Bench

The Karnataka High Court today refused to entertain two petitions filed questioning State's decision mandating new electricity consumers to install smart pre-paid meters, the cost of which is higher than what is prevalent in neighbouring states.

Justice M Nagaprasanna had reserved orders in the matter on July 22. However, noting that a PIL raising similar issues is already pending before a division bench of the High Court, the judge said,

"Judicial discipline demands, hierarchy and propriety requires this Court to show judicial hands off to the present petitions. Therefore the subject petitions are not entertainable."

The judge also recorded that Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty had previously undertaken that the State would not insist upon installation of smart meters in residential premises of the Petitioners as they are not new installations.

With these observations, it rejected the pleas.

During the course of hearings earlier, the court had orally observed “All over (other states) it is at Rs 900 for the very same smart meter and you are charging Rs 8,900, where will poor people go sir? You have outsourced the things, this is dangerous. You are quenching from all the poor people.”

It had then passed an interim order, directing the State to refrain from making it mandatory for obtaining smart meters for power supply/electricity connection as opposed to the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (Pre-paid Smart Metering) Regulations, 2024.

The petitioner Jayalakshmi had approached the court questioning a communication issued to her dated 02.04.2025 directing to purchase a Smart Energy Meter.

Senior Advocate Lakshmy Iyengar, appearing for one of the petitioners, argued that all the consumers would have to shift to smart meters. The petitioners questioned the tender process and how the consumers are put to extreme hardships by way of the cost of the meters, since other states charge around Rs 900 for the smart meters.

Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty appearing for the State had then submitted that the installation of smart meters was only for new houses and not for the existing consumers.

Case Title: Jayalakshmi M AND State of Karnataka & Others

Case No: WP 12535/2025 c/w WP 12987/2025

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Kar) 270