PSPCL Electrocution Compensation: How Much & How to Claim

Advocate Vikram Singh
Vikram Singh & Associates, Punjab & Haryana High Court, Chandigarh. Updated October 2026.

PSPCL electrocution compensation is the first thing a Punjab family asks about when a live wire, a fallen pole or an unguarded transformer causes a death: how much PSPCL will pay, and whether that is the end of the matter. This question-by-question guide explains the 2023 policy, how claims are processed, and when the Punjab & Haryana High Court can award more.

It supports our main guide on electrocution death compensation in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which compares the Punjab and Haryana positions in detail.

PSPCL electrocution compensation: your questions answered

Does PSPCL have a written compensation policy for electrical accidents?

Short answer: Yes. PSPCL’s accident compensation policy is contained in Office Order No. 10, I.R.O. 676, dated 08.12.2023.

The policy covers regular employees, contractual and sub-contractual workers, and members of the public, including minors. For private individuals, the compensation structure is aligned with the Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923 and the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948. For contractual workers, the Punjab Government announced in December 2023 that ex-gratia assistance for fatal accidents was raised from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh, with group insurance also raised to ₹10 lakh, as reported by The Tribune. Claims by contract workers are covered in more detail in our guide on lineman death compensation.

Who decides the claim, and how long does it take?

Short answer: The PSPCL authorities named in the policy, within the time the policy itself fixes.

In May 2024, the Punjab & Haryana High Court disposed of a batch of electrocution petitions, including claims by employees, contractual workers and private persons, by directing that the 2023 policy be applied to all pending cases, subject to determination of the authority’s negligence. The petitioners were directed to approach PSPCL, and PSPCL was directed to decide the claims expeditiously and within the time frame in the policy. If PSPCL does not decide within that time, or rejects a claim without reasons, that failure itself can be challenged.

Why is the PSPCL amount often lower than the family expected?

Short answer: Because the formula follows the Employees’ Compensation Act, which caps the wage that can be counted.

Under Section 4 of that Act, death compensation is 50% of the monthly wage multiplied by a factor based on age, and the wage is capped at a notified ceiling of ₹15,000. Whatever the deceased actually earned, the result cannot go beyond the cap. For a young earning member, this can be far below what a court would assess as just compensation.

Can the family go to the High Court after PSPCL pays?

Short answer: Often yes, but it depends on whether liability is admitted on the record.

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has held, in Anshu v. State of Haryana (2026), that receipt of a policy concession does not by itself bar a claim for just compensation against the utility. That case concerned Haryana’s Nigam, so PSPCL’s own policy wording must be read in each case. After the Supreme Court’s August 2026 ruling in KPTCL v. Rekha, a writ petition will succeed only where negligence is not genuinely disputed. Where PSPCL denies fault, a civil suit is the usual route.

Which authority is responsible, PSPCL or PSTCL?

Short answer: It depends on whose line caused the accident.

PSPCL handles distribution lines, transformers and service connections. PSTCL owns the high-voltage transmission network. The claim, the inquiry and any petition must be directed against the correct utility, and naming the wrong one causes delay.

What if the accident happened at a tubewell or farm motor?

Short answer: Liability depends on whether the fault was in PSPCL’s line or in the farmer’s own installation.

Many electrocution deaths in rural Punjab happen at tubewell connections, during paddy season. If the fault was in PSPCL’s overhead line, service cable or transformer, the claim lies against PSPCL. If it was in the consumer’s own wiring, motor or starter beyond the supply point, PSPCL will dispute liability, and the Electrical Inspector’s findings on where the fault lay become decisive. Photographs of the connection and the meter point, taken before repairs, are especially useful in these cases.

PSPCL electrocution compensation: myth vs reality

Families should treat the PSPCL electrocution compensation amount as a starting point to be checked, not an automatic final figure. For the documents to secure in the first weeks, see what to do after electrocution death.

Frequently asked questions

Next steps

If PSPCL has paid, offered or refused compensation in your family’s case, the policy wording, the inquiry report and the correspondence together decide which route is open. Keeping them in one file is the useful first step.

Our office is at Sector 15, Panchkula, and we appear before the Punjab & Haryana High Court at Chandigarh and the District Courts of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali. Families who wish to have their documents reviewed may contact us at +91 99881 70779 or singhsadvocate@gmail.com.