Nagpur: The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) to grant automatic approvals for rooftop solar installations up to 10kW, in line with central govt rules.Disposing of a writ petition filed by the All India Renewable Energy Association and others, a division bench of Justices B P Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla recorded MSEDCL’s undertaking to approve all complete applications upon payment of the requisite fees.The petition challenged MSEDCL’s practice of capping solar capacity based on past electricity consumption, contending that it violated the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, which mandate deemed approvals for rooftop solar projects up to 10kW without technical feasibility studies.During the hearing, MSEDCL assured the court that it would grant approvals up to the sanctioned load and process applications for load enhancement simultaneously, where the proposed capacity exceeds the limit.The utility has set approval timelines of three days in metropolitan areas, seven days in other municipal regions, and 15 days in rural areas. Cases involving infrastructure augmentation may take up to 90 days.Following the undertaking, the petitioners did not press several key prayers, and the court disposed of the plea, directing MSEDCL to strictly adhere to its assurance.Solar expert Sudhir Budhay welcomed the directive, saying it would restore consumer confidence and ease rooftop solar adoption in line with regulations. “It is commendable that MSEDCL has accepted this position before the court and agreed to roll back restrictive checks introduced on its online portal,” he said.He cautioned that the earlier curbs were software-driven and could reappear, stressing the need for continued oversight by consumers, industry stakeholders, and regulators.TOI was the first to report that MSEDCL had started capping solar capacity during rooftop solar panel installations. Several solar vendors also raised the issue.
