Court awards Rs 25 lakh compensation in electrocution case

Palghar Civil Judge (Senior Division) Jayendra Jagdale, hearing a petition filed by the family members of the trio, held state-run power utility MSEDCL and a cable operator tasked with laying wires responsible for their death and ordered them to jointly pay the compensation.

According to the case history, on November 10, 2005, Vasant Kini (65) was on way to her farm in village Tembhi when she accidentally came in contact with a live electric wire lying on the road.

Seeing their mother reeling under powerful shock, her sons Ashok (50) and Rajedra (37), who were nearby, rushed to help her. However, they were also dragged by the electric current and all three died on the spot.

Their families had initially filed a criminal case against the MSEDCL and cable operator under IPC Section 304-A (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). But the court absolved the MSEDCL officials and the cable operator (Sagar Vision) of the criminal charges.

However, the civil case of claims of compensation to the three individuals was pending before the court which gave its ruling yesterday.

Counsel for the family members of the deceased told the court that gross negligence on part of MSEDCL and the cable operator lead to the accident.

Holding both MSEDCL and the cable operator responsible for the deaths, the court awarded compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the surviving son of the old woman and Rs 12 lakh each to the widows of the two brothers.