Supreme Court orders CEB to pay interest for consumer security deposits

The Supreme Court has ordered the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to pay annual interests for security deposits collected from all consumers when providing the electricity connections, Ada Derana reporter said.

The Supreme Court, which took into consideration a petition filed in this regard, ordered that the state-owned electricity provider must pay the annual interest of 11.67% which they are being paid by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) for the said deposits, to the electricity consumers of all categories including the domestic consumers.

The Ceylon Electricity Board, the Electricity Consumers’ Association, its Chairman and the Secretary had filed this Fundamental Rights (FR) petition, seeking an order that the relevant annual interests be paid to the consumers under the Article 28/III of the CEB Act, naming the Ministry of Power and the Minister, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka and the Attorney General as the respondents of the case.

The petitions were taken up for consideration before a three-member Supreme Court judge bench comprising Justices S. Thurairaja and Sobhitha Rajakaruna today (28).