New Delhi: In the most stringent punishment given in a case of power theft in the capital, a special court here Thursday sentenced a man to four years of rigorous imprisonment and his son to seven and a half months in jail along with a penalty of nearly Rs.10 million.

The Special Court of Electricity in Dwarka held Pooran Chand, an industrialist, guilty of electricity theft and said he was a habitual power thief.

The court also debarred him from getting electricity from any source for three months.

He was earlier caught stealing over 102 KW of electricity.

Besides the prison terms, the special court slapped a fine of Rs.45.96 lakh on him. His son Mukesh Lakra was also fined Rs.22.98 lakh.

Apart from the individual fines, a civil liability of Rs.30.64 lakh will be levied on them. Failing to pay the amount will attract simple imprisonment for another six months, the court said.

According to a statement from BSES, the power distribution firm for the capital, this is the highest punishment awarded in a power theft case in Delhi.

Chand, who owns a plastic bicycle wheels manufacturing unit in West Delhi, and his son were caught during a raid carried out by a BSES Enforcement team in December 2006 when they unearthed power theft of over 102 KW at their plastics factory.

The company had earlier imposed a fine of Rs.38 lakh on the duo but they did not pay the penalty. BSES filed a case in the Special Court in 2007.