Hindustan Times: Mumbai: Tuesday,
January 31, 2017.
The conviction
rate in cases of electricity thefts in Mumbai in the past decade from 2005 till
2016 stands at a meagre 1.65 % with 965 cases being registered in this period
and a conviction coming in just 16 cases, revealed an RTI query by the
Hindustan Times.
The number of
cases pending before the sessions court at Kala Ghoda and pending
investigations before Mumbai Police is not maintained by vigilance department
of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) Undertaking and
hence the query under the RTI Act went unanswered. The conviction percentage
has been calculated based on the number of cases and the convictions between
2005 and last year in Mumbai city limits.
The maximum
punishment one may get for electricity thefts is five years and minimum can be
of few months and a fine. The BEST have managed to get conviction in 92 cases
of electricity thefts. Even as the information on pending cases before police
and court was unavailable under the RTI Act, an official from the vigilance
department of BEST said, “About 90% cases get compounded with our consent after
the accused accepts criminal and civil liability.”
“This
provision is as per section 152 (compounding of offences) of the Electricity
Act. In compounded cases the accused are deemed acquitted by the sessions
court. We do not go for compounding in cases where accused is a repeat
offender. In rest of the 10% cases, there are convictions in few, while rest
are pending for investigations or pending before court,” the official added.
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