Electricity development in India commenced by the end of 19th Century. In the pre-Independence era the electricity supply was mainly in the hands of private sector and restricted to urban areas and certain princely states. The installed capacity in the sector has registered tremendous growth which increased from 1362 MW in (1950) to 349 GW in 2019. The per capita electricity consumption of country also registered manifold growth from 16 units in 1947 to 1189 units (2018-19).

Prior to enactment of Electricity Act (2003), the Indian Electricity Supply Industry was governed by the Indian Electricity Act, 1910, the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1948 and Electricity Regulatory Commission Act, 1998.

Apart from other changes, Electricity Act, 2003 made elaborate provisions to protect interest of consumers. The National Electricity Policy and Tariff Policy formed under the Act reinforces these provisions. Consumer remains the focus of reforms in electricity sector. Liberal framework envisaged in Electricity Act, 2003 aims that efficiency gains achieved through competition gets translated into benefits for consumers. In line with provisions under Electricity Act, 2003 and policies, various steps have been taken by the stakeholders to institutionalize the mechanism for Grievance Redressal such as establishment of Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) and Electricity Ombudsman to safeguard the interest of consumer. The Electricity Supply Code brought out by regulators cover in details role, responsibility of distribution licensees and performance standards which is of vital importance for ensuring transparency & accountability of distribution licensees and norms for providing service to consumers. It also covers consumer Advocacy Mechanism and complaint handling mechanism to educate consumer about their rights & obligations.