The Energy Conservation Act, 2001
31. Appeal to
Appellate Tribunal.-
1. Any
person aggrieved, by an order made by an adjudicating officer or the Central
Government or the State Government or any other authority under this Act, may
prefer an appeal to the Appellate Tribunal for Energy Conservation: Provided
that any person, appealing against the order of the adjudicating officer
levying any penalty, shall, while filing the appeal, deposit the amount of such
penalty: Provided further that where in any particular case, the Appellate
Tribunal is of the opinion that the deposit of such penalty would cause undue
hardship to such person, the Appellate Tribunal may dispense with such deposit
subject to such conditions as I may deem fit to impose so as to safeguard the
realisation of penalty.
2. Every
appeal under sub-section (1) shall be filed within a period of forty-five days
from the date on which a copy of the order made by the adjudicating officer or
the Central Government or the State Government or any other authority is
received by t e aggrieved person and it shall be in such form, verified in such
manner and be accompanied by such fee as may be prescribed: Provided that the
Appellate Tribunal may entertain an appeal after the expiry of the said period
of forty-five days if it is satisfied that there was sufficient cause for not
filing it within that period.
3. On
receipt of an appeal under sub-section (1), the Appellate Tribunal may, after
giving the parties to the appeal an opportunity of being heard, pass such
orders thereon as it thinks fit, confirming, modifying or setting aside the
order appealed against.
4. The
Appellate Tribunal shall send a copy of every order made by it to the parties
to the appeal and to the concerned adjudicating officer or the Central
Government or the State Government or any other authority.
5. The
appeal filed before the Appellate Tribunal under sub-section (1) shall be dealt
with by it as expeditiously as possible and endeavour shall be made by it to
dispose of the appeal finally within one hundred and eighty days from the date
of receipt of the appeal: Provided that where an appeal could not be disposed
of within the said period of one hundred and eighty days, the Appellate
Tribunal shall record its reasons in writing for not disposing of the appeal
within the said period.
6.
The
Appellate Tribunal may, for the purpose of examining the legality, propriety or
correctness of any order made by the adjudicating officer or the Central
Government or the State Government or any other authority under this Act, as
the case may be, n relation to any proceeding, on its own motion or otherwise,
call for the records of such proceedings and make such order in the case as it
thinks fit.