Company liable for electrocution

In a recent case in Andhra Pradesh, State Commission held that an electric company can be held negligent if it fails to perform its pubic duty

C.J. Krishna was travelling to work on a moped to attend duty at Tirupathi. He reached Manglampet Road at 5.30 am on April 22, 2011 when he came into contact with a live 11 kilovolt (KV) electrical wire and died due to electrocution.
 
His widow, Vijaya Kumari, and three minor children filed a complaint before the State Consumer Commission of Andhra Pradesh alleging deficiency on the part of the Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd. (APSPDCL). The case was defended by APSPDCL, which claimed that heavy rains and thunderstorm had caused the wire to get detached and fall