Jammu & Kashmir High Court orders ₹20 lakh compensation for youth who got electrocuted

The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh recently ordered the payment of ₹20 lakh as compensation to a youth who suffered 78 per cent disability after being electrocuted by an exposed wire in 2007 [Abrar Ahmad Tantray V/s State of J&K Th. PDD]..Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul passed the judgment on July 22 after noting that no compensation was paid for the incident.The Court also rejected the Jammu and Kashmir Power Department's objections over the delay in claiming such compensation. "There is no quarrel about 78% disability of petitioner due to electric shock, when he had been eight years of age on 9th March 2007 ... petitioner has trans-elbow amputation left side with scarring/puckering of over lung skin and percentage of disability is around 78% from orthopedic side ... petitioner has scars in B/L thighs and deformity disability amounts to 15%. In such circumstances, petitioner cannot be said that he is not entitled to any compensation as has been tried and stated by respondents," the Court said..The Court was hearing a petition filed in 2018 by 21-year-old Abrar Ahmad Tantray (petitioner), who sought compensation for the electrocution he suffered as an 8-year-old boy due to an uncovered electric transformer.He also sought that he be sympathetically considered by the government for a suitable job as per his qualifications, so that he may not feel dependent and handicapped for life..Abrar had been playing with other children outside when he received the electric shock due to a snapped 11 KV line wire at Kujjar Kulgam village. The electrocution resulted in severe burn injuries on the left side of his body and a part of his arm had to be amputated as well. He was left with a 78 per cent permanent disability. The State opposed his 2018 plea for compensation on the ground that it was filed after a nine-year delay, although the authorities admitted that the electrocution incident took place. The Court was also informed that after the incident, Abrar's case was recommended for the grant of relief and rehabilitation on humanitarian grounds and that a letter was forwarded to the Development Commissioner, Power in October 2007. The Court, however, found that no compensation had been paid. .Therefore, it ordered the authorities to pay ₹20 lakh as compensation to the petitioner, along with an interest of 6 per cent per annum from the date of presentation of the petition (2018) till it is paid. .Advocate Areeb Kanth appeared for the petitioner.Additional Advocate General Alla ud Din Ganai and advocate Shaila Shameem represented the respondent-authorities. .[Read Judgment]