The Meghalaya High Court has disposed of the writ petition filed by JUD Cements Ltd against Meghalaya Power Distribution Company Ltd (MPDCL) after the former took steps to clear all pending power dues.
It may be mentioned that MPDCL had earlier decided to snap electricity supply to JUD Cements Ltd in Thangskai, East Jaintia Hills as the company failed to clear the outstanding power bills.
The matter went to the High Court after the cement company filed a writ petition and also told the court that it was ready to pay the power dues in installments.
On this matter, the court had allowed the two parties to make proposals as to the schedule of payment of the outstanding dues that will be acceptable to both the parties.
During the hearing held on June 24, JUD Cements Ltd lawyer Kaustav Paul assisted by another lawyer S Chanda produced a statement of the accounts which was reconciled for the payments made for the period from April 7, 2022 to June 21, 2022 amounting to Rs 5 crores.
For the outstanding arrear dues, the lawyers told the court that four post dated cheques have already been deposited with the MPDCL. They also produced before the court details of the same.
In view of the pointed submission of lawyers of the cement company, MPDCL’s lawyer S Sahay told the court that the corporation should be permitted to encash the three postdated cheques dated August 22, 2022, December 21, 2022 and April 21, 2023 on the date indicated in the cheques for realisation of the balance amount of the arrears.
“As the first installment of Rs 5 crores appears to have been fulfilled by the petitioner company though with a slight delay, and also considering the fact that post dated cheques are in the possession of the respondent corporation for fulfillment of the outstanding dues, at present nothing survives for consideration in the present writ petition and the same is accordingly closed and disposed of,” Justice Hamarsan Sing Thangkhiew said in his verdict.
