A court in Karachi on Saturday found K-Electric negligent and ordered the company to pay Rs13.5 million in compensation to the family of Sheikh Saad Ahmed, who died after being electrocuted while saving a child during rainfall.

The court directed that the compensation be paid within 90 days.

The case was heard by the Senior Civil Judge (Central), who announced a detailed verdict and imposed the financial penalty on K-Electric for failing to ensure public safety.

The petitioner’s lawyer, Usman Farooq, told the court that Sheikh Saad Ahmed, the sole breadwinner of his family, was attempting to rescue a child from a live electric pole in 2019 when he was fatally electrocuted.

According to the lawyer, local residents had previously reported current leakage from the pole to K-Electric, but no effective action was taken.

He added that the deceased supported his family’s expenses while pursuing his education.

K-Electric’s lawyer, meanwhile, argued that the pole in question did not belong to the company and carried wires from private generators, telephone lines, and cable operators.

He claimed the electrocution resulted from the generator’s wiring and that K-Electric’s installations were fully safe.

He also contended that the victim endangered his own life by approaching the hazardous site.

The court, however, ruled that utility providers carry an exceptional duty to protect the public.

It noted that the presence of wires from other entities does not absolve K-Electric of responsibility.

The court emphasised that electricity leakage from a public pole constitutes clear negligence, while efforts to save a life cannot be considered negligence, as the law views attempts to save human life leniently.

Under the Fatal Accidents Act, the court ordered K-Electric to pay Rs13.5 million to the victim’s family within 90 days.