SC Sets Up Selection Panel For Members Appointment To Delhi Power Regulator DERC

The Supreme Court on Monday set up a 3-member selection panel for short-listing and appointing 2 temporary members of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission.

A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra stated that the selection committee will comprise Justice Jayant Nath, former Delhi High Court judge and present pro tem DERC head, Justice Ramesh Ranganathan, the chairperson of APTEL (Appellate Tribunal for Electricity) and Justice Asha Menon, a former Delhi High Court judge.

The bench stated that the selection panel shall recommend 2 names for each position with information regarding their ability, integrity and domain knowledge, preferably within a month.

It added, the names of short-listed candidates will be forwarded to the office of the lieutenant governor of Delhi and the chief minister for appointment.

The bench stated that the panel will be free to devise methods for selection of the members of the national capital’s power regulatory authority.

It stated that the department concerned of the Delhi government shall provide secretarial assistance to the committee and the meeting of the panel can be conducted physically or virtually.

The order stated, “The selection committee shall give two names for each position with regard to their ability, integrity and domain knowledge. The committee is requested to recommend the names within one month of this order. The names to be sent to the LG and the Delhi CM and the appointment shall be made thereafter.”

Earlier, the top court on August 4 this year took note of the discord between the Delhi government and the lieutenant governor over who should head the city’s power regulator and appointed former Delhi High Court judge Justice Jayant Nath as the interim chairperson of the DERC.

The CJI-led bench stated that the lieutenant governor and the chief minister of Delhi shall notify the honorarium payable to Justice (retd) Nath after due consultation with him (the appointee).

The court noted that the counsel representing the Delhi government and the office of the LG have jointly requested it to nominate a former judge to discharge the duty of the chairperson of the DERC.