Mumbai: The Metropolitan Magistrate Court has acquitted a contractor booked after a worker died of electrocution while cleaning a water tank at Ganjawala Tower, Tardeo, in October 2015.
According to the prosecution, a Tardeo police constable received a call from Nair Hospital on October 16, 2015, reporting a man’s death due to electrocution. The constable and a sub-inspector visited the hospital and began an inquiry.
The deceased, Santosh Kharat, 35, was working for contractor Vilas Pitale, 53, a CP Tank resident. Pitale had been contracted by the society to clean the water tank and sent Kharat for the job that afternoon. Kharat reportedly entered the tank holding a motor in one hand and a rope in the other, suffered an electric shock, and fell inside. He was injured on his leg. Pitale, with the help of the watchman, pulled him out and rushed him to hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
The investigation revealed that Kharat was under the influence of alcohol and lacked technical qualifications – he was neither a plumber nor an electrician. The police booked Pitale for allegedly failing to provide safety equipment, thereby endangering Kharat’s life.
During the trial, the court noted that the investigating officer did not verify if there was current in the tank or whether the electric motor was switched on. Only two witnesses – the constable and the sub-inspector – were examined.
Citing lack of evidence, the court concluded that the prosecution failed to prove Pitale’s negligence in not providing safety gear and acquitted him of all charges.
