Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JSERC) has been in a non-functional state since early January 2021, as all its key positions are lying vacant.
JSERC has been in non-functional state as all its key positions, those of Chairperson, Member (Technical) and Member (Legal) are yet to be filled in.
Arbin Prasad, Chairman, JSERC, since July 17, 2017, resigned on June 12, 2020. Even after his resignation, JSERC passed orders as the presence of Member (Technical) and Member (Legal) fulfilled the quorum.
Rabindra Narayan Singh, Member (Technical) also referred to as Member (Engineering) resigned from JSERC on January 9, 2021, leaving only Pravas Kumar Singh, Member (Legal) as the key functionary of JSERC.
JSERC has not issued any orders since January 9, 2021, as the presence of just one member does not satisfy the quorum. Incidentally, on January 9, 2021 itself, JSERC issued as many as six orders.
Pravas Kumar Singh resigned on February 19, 2021, leaving JSERC without any key functionary. Incidentally, Pravas Kumar Singh joined Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) as Member (Legal) on February 22, 2021. (Read more)
Appointment of JSERC officials is under the ambit of the Jharkhand power ministry. Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, who was sworn in on December 29, 2019, also holds the power ministry portfolio.
It may be mentioned that a Supreme Court ruling of August 2018 made it mandatory for CERC and state electricity regulatory commissions (SERCs) to compulsorily have a Member (Legal) in its key functionaries. This was also the reason why CERC was also in a state of hiatus for over five months. (Read more)
