PSPCL Power Subsidy for Lawyers: Know the Details

The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has directed all Divisional Sales (DS) Sub-Divisions across the state to accept applications from eligible lawyers for a change of tariff category on their electric connections. The direction was issued on 17th July 2026. This brings lawyers' chambers registered with the Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana within the ambit of Domestic Supply (DS) tariff instead of the commercial category. In other words, Punjab and Haryana High Court lawyers will have to pay less for the power used in their chambers. 

Background to the PSPCL Lawyer Power Subsidy 

The Tariff Order issued by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) on 6 March 2026, is applicable for the period from 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2027. Following this order, PSPCL had issued Commercial Circular No. 10/2026 dated 10th March 2026, covering the "General Conditions of Tariff" (Annexure-I of the Tariff Order) and "Schedules of Tariff" (Annexure-II of the Tariff Order) for FY 2026-27. 

The 17th July 2026 PSPCL memo on power subsidy for lawyers draws attention to a specific clause within the Schedules of Tariff for Domestic Supply that applies to lawyers' chambers and instructs field officers to implement it. 

PSPCL Lawyer Chamber Power Subsidy: The Tariff Clause 

The relevant provision, clause SVI.1.5 of the Domestic Supply (DS) Schedule under the FY 2026-27 Tariff Order, was reproduced in the memo as follows: 

Clause SVI.1.5 covers supply to government hospitals, primary health centres, civil dispensaries, and hospitals run by charitable institutions covered under section 80(G) of the Income Tax Act. It also covers single-point supply to residential colonies, multi-storey residential complexes, and co-operative group housing societies or employers, as per the terms and conditions in the Supply Code, 2024 (a PSERC regulation governing the terms of electricity supply). 

The clause further states that electric connections of lawyers' chambers registered with the Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana, situated in Court Complexes across the state, and used exclusively for legal professional work, and not for secondary commercial activities such as canteens or photocopy centres, shall also be covered under this Domestic Supply schedule. 

Eligibility for PSPCL Power Subsidy for Lawyers 

Based on the tariff clause cited in the memo, three conditions determine whether a lawyer's chamber qualifies for the Domestic Supply tariff category: 

1. Registration: The chamber's electric connection must be registered with the Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana.
2. Location: The chamber must be situated within a Court Complex across the state.
3. Exclusive use: The premises must be used exclusively for legal professional work, and not for secondary commercial activities such as canteens or photocopy centres. 

Application Process and Compliance Timeline 

The memo instructs all concerned officers of the DS Sub-Divisions to accept applications from eligible lawyers seeking a change of tariff category for their electric connections to Domestic Supply, as and when such applications are submitted. The circular for PSPCL power subsidy to lawyer chambers also instructs officers to complete the process for change of tariff category within two days of receipt of applications. It states that meticulous compliance with these instructions shall be ensured, and that it issues with the approval of the competent authority.