BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has upheld a single judge’s award of a Rs 1.37-crore compensation in three electricity accident cases. Rejecting the contention of the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL) and Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) that the compensation is on the higher side, a division bench of Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice C M Joshi upheld the single judge’s order dated August 4, 2022.
“We hold the present appeals filed by the appellants as without any merit and liable to be dismissed. We order accordingly,” the bench said.
A single judge had directed KPTCL and Bescom to pay a compensation of Rs 1.37 crore to two minors and the wife of a victim for electricity-related injuries and electrocution, respectively.
In the first petition by Rekha, wife of N M Subramanya from Sakleshpur taluk, the single judge directed KPTCL to pay her Rs 25.52 lakh. Subramanya (36) was electrocuted after coming in contact with a feeder line while harvesting pepper using an aluminium ladder.
In the second case, the court ordered Bescom to pay Rs 54.26 lakh to K Chandana (15) of Lottegollahalli in Bengaluru. She is the daughter of an autorickshaw driver. On October 19, 2017, she came in contact with an electric line when carrying an iron mop while climbing the stairs in her house and sustained injuries, resulting in amputation of her left elbow.
In the third case, KPTCL was directed to pay Rs 57.32 lakh to Muizz Ahmad Sharif (7), son of a contract worker, from Gurappanapalya in Bengaluru. On September 16, 2017, he suffered 80% burns and 40% deep injuries after coming in contact with a high-tension line while jumping from the terrace of his house to a neighbouring building to retrieve a cricket ball.