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HC directs govt to shift power lines passing over schools

A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma passed this order in view of electrocution of students while hoisting National Flag
Last Updated 06 September 2021, 20:45 IST

The High Court on Monday directed the state government and the electricity distribution/transmission companies to shift all power lines passing over school premises in the state.

A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma passed this order in view of electrocution of students while hoisting National Flag.

The suo motu PIL was registered in 2019 after five students were electrocuted while trying to remove the iron pole to tie the national flag on a hostel premises in Koppal. This year, a 16-year old boy Chandan was electrocuted at a government school at Karikere village in Tumakuru district on August 15. Two other boys sustained injuries in the incident.

During the hearing, a report of the deputy commissioner of Tumakuru was placed before the court. The report stated the children were self-motivated to erect the flag post. The court said that the deputy commissioner, in connivance with the school authorities was trying to give a different colour to the incident.

“The minor children can by no stretch of imagination try to do something on their own. It has to be on the instruction of the teachers. In respect of the high-tension wire, it has been stated that the electric line has been slightly shifted. No high tension wire can pass through the school,” the bench said.

The bench ordered issuance of notice to Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation (KPTCL) and distribution licensees in the state as some of the shifting of lines has to be done by distribution companies also.

Meanwhile, the bench said that the compensation of Rs one lakh paid to the family of the victim in Tumakuru incident was meagre. The court directed the government to follow the benchmark of Koppal case wherein Rs 10 lakh compensation was paid to family members of each of the five victims. The court also directed the authorities to grant compensation to the injured students.

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(Published 06 September 2021, 17:24 IST)

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