Umesh Kumar appointed chairperson of Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission

New Delhi: The Delhi government has appointed Umesh Kumar as the new chairperson of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC). Kumar, a retired justice from the Allahabad High Court, will take the oath of office on Monday. Kumar was originally chosen for this role by the central government in June 2023. At that time, the central government gained control over certain services through an ordinance, later passed as an act by Parliament. The previous AAP government opposed this appointment and took the matter to the Supreme Court. After some discussions that did not reach a consensus, the Supreme Court appointed Justice Jayant Nath as the temporary chairperson of DERC. Nath was allowed to work on some arbitration cases, but with restrictions due to potential conflicts of interest. In October 2024, the Chief Justice allowed Nath to continue beyond the usual retirement age of 65 years. However, he resigned shortly after the BJP won the Delhi assembly elections in February. Despite Justice Nath’s appointment, the Supreme Court did not revoke Umesh Kumar's appointment. The Delhi power department communicated with Kumar on March 18, informing him of the oath ceremony schedule. One of Kumar's first tasks will be to announce the new electricity tariff, which has not been updated for three years. The DERC is already working on determining the tariff for the financial year 2024-25. They have shared details of electricity companies' expenses and invited public comments. Since 2014, there has been no change in power tariffs in Delhi, although power companies have requested increased tariffs for this new financial year.