In Brief
A consumer was wrongly billed at a lower tariff rate (₹1.65/unit instead of ₹2.10/unit) for July 2009 to September 2011. The electricity company discovered the mistake in March 2014 and demanded additional payment in May 2015—nearly four years later. The Supreme Court held that while 'first due' means when the original bill was issued, the two-year limitation period for disconnection applies to that original bill. Although the company may raise supplementary demands for genuine mistakes (with limitation running from discovery date), it cannot disconnect supply for non-payment of such arrears after two years. Other legal remedies remain available.
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