10 Years After Death by High-Tension Line, No Compensation Paid: Court Seals Electricity Department Office in Barabanki

Barabanki: In a rare and stern action, a court in Barabanki has ordered the sealing of the Executive Engineer’s office of the Electricity Distribution Division–II, Ramnagar, after the department failed to comply with a decade-old compensation order.

The case dates back to 20 May 2016, when Kailash Yadav, a resident of Badagaon in Masauli police station area, died after a high-tension power line snapped and fell directly on him. Severely burnt in the incident, Kailash succumbed to injuries.
His wife, Shiv Devi, filed a case alleging gross negligence by the electricity department.

Court’s Order Ignored for 10 Years

Advocate Govind Vajpayee, representing the victim’s family, stated that the court had earlier held the electricity department responsible and ordered it to pay ₹6 lakh as compensation. However, despite clear directions, the department failed to make any payment for ten years.

During the recent hearing, after reviewing evidence and witness statements, the Court of the Senior Division Judge (Court No. 20) revised the compensation amount to ₹9.41 lakh, including interest, and directed immediate payment to the victim’s family.

Office Sealed After Department’s Defiance

When the electricity department still did not comply, the court issued strict directions to seal the office.

On Friday, acting on the court’s order, a team led by Joint Magistrate Gunjita Agarwal, along with Station House Officer Anil Kumar Pandey and police personnel, reached the Executive Engineer’s office, locked it, and pasted the official seizure notice on the premises.

Family Still Waiting for Justice

Ashok Kumar, son of the deceased, expressed the family’s long struggle:

“My father died ten years ago, and we have fought for justice ever since. Today, the court has taken action because the department kept ignoring the judgment.”

The sealing of a government office for non-compliance with a court order has sparked discussions locally, highlighting persistent administrative negligence in compensation-related cases.