President refuses to sign Delhi Electricity Reforms (Amendment) Bill

New Delhi: The President has refused to approve the Delhi Electricity Reforms (Amendment) Bill 2022, which was passed by the Delhi Assembly and aimed to raise the retirement age of the chairman and members of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) from 65 to 70 years old, according to officials on Friday.

The chairman and members of DERC are appointed for a period of five years, or until they become sixty-five, whichever comes first.

"The Bill was not approved by the president and returned back," Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said.

No immediate comment was available from the president's office on the issue.

When asked about it, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was not apprised of the matter. "I will get it checked," Kejriwal said in a press conference.

Official sources said the Bill was returned by the President because the Electricity Act is a central law and it was beyond the jurisdiction of the Delhi Assembly to legislate on it.

The legislation was brought to avoid any possible delay in the announcement of the annual power tariff by the DERC in case both the chairman and a member of the DERC retired at the same time, they said.

In DERC, since its inception, most of the chairman and members have not been able to complete their full five-year term because they joined at the age of 60, 62 or later, and also due to the restriction of the upper age limit of 65 years, they added.

With PTI inputs