Lucknow, Nov 3 The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday held that the Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission can recommend additional compensation to victims of human rights violations even if aid has already been paid under other statutory provisions.
A Lucknow bench of justices Shekhar B Saraf and Amitabh Kumar Rai dismissed a writ petition filed by Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd challenging the commission's order directing payment of an additional Rs 10 lakh to an electrocution victim.
The victim had suffered electrocution in 2011.
The electricity corporation had earlier paid Rs 65,000 to the victim's father in 2017 and Rs 1 lakh to the victim in February 2025.
The Uttar Pradesh Human Rights Commission, however, directed payment of another Rs 10 lakh.
The corporation challenged the order, arguing that the complaint filed before the commission in 2024 was barred by limitation as the incident had occurred in 2011.
Rejecting the contention, the court observed that non-payment of compensation constituted a continuing violation of human rights.
It further held that the corporation's payment of Rs 1 lakh after filing of the complaint amounted to an acknowledgement under the Limitation Act.
The bench observed that electricity corporations have a statutory duty to maintain transmission lines in a manner that does not expose people's lives to danger.
Negligence by their officials resulting in electrocution amounts to violation of human rights, it said.
Interpreting the provisions of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the court said the Commission's power to recommend compensation was independent and additional to other legal remedies.
Previous compensation paid to the victim could not restrict its jurisdiction to recommend further relief.
Upholding the additional compensation, the court said the amount ought to have been paid immediately and remarked that the corporation was fortunate that no interest had been imposed for the delay.
