K-Electric to pay Rs50.6 million as compensatin in electrocution case

2026-03-20 - 08:11

KARACHI – A court in Karachi on Friday directed K-Electric to pay Rs50.6 million as compensation to the legal heirs of a father and son who died due to electrocution during rainfall. A senior civil judge (South Africa) heard the case was and conducted proceedings on the damages petition filed against the power utility. In its verdict, the court ordered K-Electric to deposit the compensation amount within 30 days with the court-appointed Nazir. The court further instructed the Nazir to disburse the amount to the heirs of the deceased and submit a compliance report accordingly. KE slapped with same fine of worth Rs5m in a similar case In December, 2019, The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has imposed a fine of Rs50 million on K-Electric after determining that multiple fatalities were caused by electrocution linked to unsafe conditions in its distribution network. According to a statement, the regulator concluded that 19 deaths occurred due to electrocution, attributing the incidents to inadequate earthing of low-tension and high-tension poles and leakage of current from K-Electric’s distribution infrastructure. NEPRA observed that the power utility failed to meet its legal obligation to uphold safety standards and was also in violation of the terms and conditions of its license as well as applicable regulatory laws. In addition to the monetary penalty, K-Electric has been instructed to complete the earthing and grounding of its distribution system and to undertake third-party verification of its network. The company has also been directed to conduct an internal inquiry, identify responsibility at the level of its staff and management, and submit a final report to the regulator. The authority further noted that K-Electric had, in principle, offered compensation to the families of the victims, and it directed the company to promptly share full details of the compensation with NEPRA. The regulator also pointed out deficiencies in the design of K-Electric’s distribution system, stating that it did not conform to the relevant technical codes and manuals. It also highlighted that hazardous use of the network by third-party cable operators had been allowed. Moreover, NEPRA noted that the utility failed to report fatalities in a timely and prescribed manner and did not restore electricity supply within the stipulated time limits. The decision followed an inquiry initiated after multiple deaths occurred in Karachi during monsoon rains in July and August. NEPRA had launched its investigation in August and later held K-Electric responsible for 19 out of 35 reported deaths. The authority had earlier issued a show-cause notice to the company and sought its response before finalizing the decision. Karachi electric buses face charging issue