K-Electric fined Rs4.81mn over child's electrocution

KARACHI: A local court in the city imposed a fine of Rs4.81 million on K-Electric (KE) for the electrocution of a child to death in 2017, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Senior Civil Judge East Ambreen Jamal found K-Electric guilty of negligence and failing to implement adequate safety measures to protect citizens, ordering the KE to pay Rs4.819 million in compensation to the heirs of Azhan.

Azhan, an 8-year-old child, died in 2017 after he was electrocuted by a live wire that broke from the K-Electric’s pole during the rainfall in Karachi.

The relatives of the child filed a case against K-Electric over its negligence. The verdict comes after a lengthy seven-year court battle initiated by Azhan’s relatives.

Counsel of the plaintiff Advocate Usman Farooq pleaded that the negligence of K-Electric in the case was evident, as the power supply company failed to install a guard wire, causing the death of Azhan.

A KE spokesperson said, “It would be premature to comment as the judgement is not received by the company”.

K-Electric is the only electricity supplying company in Karachi and it has been blamed for several similar incidents, as in September 2014 the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) imposed a Rs10 million fine on K-Electric over the electrocution incidents in Karachi from 2022 to 2023 that resulted in the deaths of 33 citizens.

As per the details, the NEPRA rejected K-Electric’s response to the show-cause notice and imposed the fine.

The NEPRA directed K-Electric to pay Rs3.5 million in compensation to the heirs of each affected family.

Additionally, the authority directed K-Electric to provide a job to one of the heirs of Muhammad Aslam, one of the victims.