February 28, Colombo (LNW): The Supreme Court has directed the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to pay annual interest on the security deposits collected from electricity consumers when providing connections.
The court’s decision follows a petition filed by the Electricity Consumers’ Association, its Chairman, and Secretary, asserting that consumers are entitled to interest on the deposits they have paid.
The Supreme Court, taking into account the petition, ruled that the CEB must pay an annual interest rate of 11.67 per cent, the same rate the Ceylon Electricity Board earns from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) on these deposits.
The ruling applies to all categories of consumers, including domestic users, effectively ensuring that they are compensated for the security deposits they made when obtaining electricity connections.
The petition, which sought to enforce the payment of the relevant annual interests under Article 28/III of the CEB Act, named several key respondents, including the Ministry of Power, the Minister, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka, and the Attorney General.
The case was reviewed by a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which included Justices S. Thurairaja and Sobhitha Rajakaruna, during proceedings held today (28).
