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It is one of the oldest tricks in the landlord playbook.
The dispute starts. Maybe you questioned a rent increase. Maybe you asked for repairs that never came. Maybe the landlord simply wants you out and does not want to go through the legal process of eviction.
So the power goes off.
No electricity. No lights. No fans in summer. No way to charge a phone, cook food, run a business, or live any kind of normal life. The message is clear even when nothing is said out loud: leave, or stay in the dark.
The Delhi High Court has now said — clearly and on record — that this is illegal.
In the case of Maiki Jain versus BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, a tenant in West Delhi had been renting the third floor of a residential property since 2016. A dispute arose with the landlords. The electricity connection, which was registered in the landlords’ names, was disconnected. When the tenant cleared all outstanding dues on the same day as the disconnection, the power company still refused to restore supply — because the landlords had instructed them not to, and were withholding the No Objection Certificate required for reconnection.
The tenant went to the Delhi High Court.
Justice Mini Pushkarna’s ruling was unambiguous.
Electricity is a basic necessity. It is an integral part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. A pending landlord-tenant dispute cannot be used as a reason to deprive a person of electricity. As long as the tenant is in lawful possession of the property — meaning no eviction order has been passed by a court — their possession is lawful and their right to basic amenities is intact.
The court ordered BSES to restore electricity without insisting on any NOC from the landlords. It also directed the landlords to cooperate. And it went further — if the landlords obstructed the restoration, BSES was permitted to seek police assistance.
This is not the first time Indian courts have taken this position. The Supreme Court had earlier held that electricity cannot be denied to a tenant simply because a landlord refuses to issue a no-objection certificate. The Delhi High Court’s December 2025 ruling reinforces and extends that position specifically to situations where landlords actively instruct power companies to keep supply disconnected during disputes.
What this means for you
If your landlord has cut off electricity or is threatening to — or has instructed a power company not to restore supply — you have legal recourse.
You can file a writ petition in the High Court. You can approach the electricity distribution company with this ruling as legal backing. You can cite Article 21 of the Constitution.
The landlord-tenant dispute does not give anyone the right to make your home unliveable. The court has said so. In writing.
