A senior civil judge in Karachi has delivered a major verdict in the case of an 8-year-old boy, Azhan, who was electrocuted to death in 2017. The court has ruled that K-Electric (KE) must pay Rs. 20 million in compensation to the child’s parents.
The decision comes after a six-year legal battle. In his petition, the family’s lawyer, Usman Farooq, argued that the death was a result of KE’s negligence, as the company failed to install proper guard wires. Azhan was electrocuted during a rainfall when he came in contact with an exposed wire.
On July 23, 2017, Azhan tragically lost his life in the Model Colony area of Karachi. KE, however, maintained that the electric pole from which the current originated belonged to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), while KE only provided electricity. The company also pointed out that it runs campaigns to warn people about staying indoors during rainy weather, and claimed the child’s decision to leave the house was an act of negligence.
Despite this, the court concluded that KE’s failure to ensure the safety of its infrastructure contributed to the tragic incident.
