Power discom directed to pay Rs 5 lakh to electrocuted man

A Kalka court directed Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) to pay Rs 5 lakh as compensation to a man whose arms were amputated after he suffered from an electrocution accident in Kalka.

Nitesh Kumar Singh, then 27-year-old, fell upon live wires on September 26, 2015 and lost his consciousness. He was taken to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, and when he regained his consciousness he was told that in order to save his life his hands were amputated.

The order comes close on the heels of an another ruling by Panchkula court which directed UHBVN to pay ₹8 lakh to sector 4 businessman whose left leg and two toes had to be amputated due to electrocution.

Nitesh had migrated from Bihar and was working as mason in Panchkula. He had to pay over Rs 3 lakh on his medical treatment, medicines and other hospital bills at PGIMER. He filed a case in Kalka court in 2015 submitting that the accident took place due to UHBVN’s negligence and prayed for compensation.

Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division), Kalka, Danish Gupta said the complainant was not wrong to demand relief from the electricity distribution company.

“There is a presumption of negligence on the part of the electricity department, which is under an obligation to show that despite exercising due diligence, the accident had occurred,” the judge said.

UHBVN told the court that the accident did not take place due to their negligence and alleged that Singh was trying to steal live wire when he got electrocuted. But the court observed that neither the power department lodged any FIR against Singh nor gave any evidence that on the date of the incident, they were not supplying the electricity at the spot.