The Lahore High Court (LHC) has barred authorities from disconnecting a fully paid residential electricity connection to recover disputed dues from a separate industrial connection.

Justice Jawad Hassan passed the order on a petition filed by Ghazi Akhtar Khan, directing the authorities to take no coercive action against his residential electricity connection until the dispute is decided.

The court noted that the residential connection had its own meter, reference number, billing record and payment history, and that the petitioner had regularly paid his residential electricity bills.

The LHC held that even if both residential and industrial connections belonged to the same person, authorities could not use one connection to recover disputed dues linked to another.

The court also emphasized that electricity is a basic necessity connected with the right to life and directed the authorities to give all concerned parties, particularly the petitioner, an opportunity to be heard before taking further action.

Authorities were ordered to decide the matter within two weeks.

Until then, the court has prohibited any coercive action against the petitioner’s residential electricity connection.