PANAJI
The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has appointed Advocate Abhijit Gosavi as amicus curiae to assist in examining complaints and concerns related to the ongoing installation of smart electricity meters across the State.
“The Commission has discussed and decided to appoint Advocate Abhijit Gosavi, who is competent to assist the Commission as amicus. Accordingly, he is appointed as amicus in the matter,” states an order issued by Chairperson Justice Bharat Deshpande and Member Pramod Kamat on Wednesday.
The appointment comes after the Commission took suo motu cognisance of complaints and concerns raised by citizens over the smart meter rollout. On Tuesday, the GHRC noted that Goa has around 7.5 lakh electricity consumers and observed that allowing intervention applications from a large number of consumers would make the process difficult to manage.
To ensure an organised and efficient process, the Commission decided to appoint an amicus curiae as an independent legal adviser. The amicus will receive, compile and examine grievances from consumers and petitioners, and assist the Commission in handling the matter in a systematic manner.
