21-05-2025
‘Admin failure': Haryana rights panel pulls up power dept after differently abled man electrocuted
Gurgaon:
Haryana Human Rights Commission
(HHRC) this week pulled up the power department and Sonipat officials for "dereliction of duty" and "administrative failure" over the death of a
differently abled
man, who was electrocuted after he accidentally touched an unfenced transformer.
The commission, while hearing the case on May 19, ordered the state govt to give compensation to the man's family and recommended the power department to conduct a time-bound and independent inquiry to identify lapses. It said that disciplinary and/or legal action must be initiated against officials who installed the transformer without proper safety provisions.
Rajneesh, a Sonipat resident with 81% disabilities, died after he came in contact with a transformer along GT Road on Jan 11 this year.
There were no protective barriers or warnings, Rajneesh's uncle Ranbir said in a complaint to HHRC.
Justice Lalit Batra of the commission observed that the case represented a "grave violation" of the
Right to Life
and Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
"Negligence and inaction of public authorities… undermined the constitutional and statutory protections available to citizens — especially vulnerable groups like persons with disabilities," Justice Batra said.
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"The death of Rajneesh due to reckless installation and neglect of public utility infrastructure was preventable and unacceptable in a rights-based society," the commission noted.
To prevent such incidents, HHRC said the power department should carry out a district-wise audit of transformers and high-voltage equipment in public and residential areas. The audits must include proper fencing or barricading around all transformers, installation of visible warning signs and hazard indicators, verification of overhead clearance and removal of low-hanging wires, maintenance and inspection records, and emergency response systems in case of similar accidents, it said.
Dr Puneet Arora, public relations officer of HHRC, said on Wednesday that the panel has asked Sonipat police chief to submit a status report on FIR and investigation into the case. "Likewise, the Sonipat deputy commissioner has been instructed to report on the disbursement of compensation to the victim's family," Arora said. The commission will take up the case next on July 30.
