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Re:

Sambhal MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq Faces ₹1.91 Crore Power-Theft Assessment

The ₹1.91 crore figure was a reported electricity department assessment against Zia Ur Rehman Barq, not an established final finding of power theft. The High Court granted interim relief in June 2025.
From TheFinanceBase Team2 min to read
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The Uttar Pradesh electricity department reportedly assessed Sambhal MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq ₹1.91 crore after alleging unauthorised electricity use at his residence. Barq disputed how the assessment was handled. In June 2025, the Allahabad High Court granted interim relief, staying the assessment subject to a ₹6 lakh deposit and directing restoration of electricity supply subject to payment of future bills. The reports available here do not establish a final ruling on the allegation.

Why the department assessed ₹1.91 crore

The case followed an inspection on December 19, 2024, at Barq’s residence in Deepa Sarai, Sambhal. Electricity officials alleged unauthorised use and cited meter readings and a load they said exceeded the sanctioned connection. The department’s reported assessment was ₹1.91 crore, often rounded to ₹1.9 crore in headlines. The Indian Express and Hindustan Times reported the department’s account; the inspection and meter records have not been independently reviewed here.

Why the assessment was disputed

Barq said he had not been given a fair chance to respond and alleged that his lawyer was not informed of scheduled hearings. Electricity officials gave a different account: superintending engineer Vinod Kumar told Hindustan Times on May 23, 2025, “We extended the date several times to allow him a chance to respond. However, despite multiple notices, the matter remained unresolved. We have now finalised our report.” Without the underlying notices and hearing records, the competing accounts cannot be resolved.

What the Allahabad High Court ordered

In June 2025, the Allahabad High Court granted interim relief. It stayed the assessment order subject to Barq depositing ₹6 lakh and directed restoration of electricity supply subject to timely payment of future bills. The Indian Express reported that the court questioned the period used to calculate the assessment and described the demand as “wholly unnatural and arbitrary.” That characterization concerned the assessment at the interim stage; it was not a final finding on whether unauthorised use occurred. The Indian Express report describes the order.

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Was the ₹6 lakh deposited, and is the case over?

Hindustan Times reported on June 17, 2025, that Barq deposited the ₹6 lakh required by the interim order. That report does not establish what happened after the deposit. The available reporting establishes neither a later final judgment nor the present status of the assessment or electricity connection.

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