Overview

• Ten people died, including eight in Kolkata, after coming into contact with live wires submerged in waterlogged streets following heavy rain earlier this week.
• A division bench led by Acting Chief Justice Soumen Sen directed CESC, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the state to submit detailed reports.
• The directive followed an email from the All-India Lawyers’ Union to the Chief Justice and a public interest litigation by ISF MLA Noushad Siddiqui.
• CESC, the Sanjiv Goenka–owned distributor for Kolkata and Howrah, announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for each bereaved family and has not pledged jobs for dependents.
• The West Bengal government announced Rs 2 lakh per family, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pressed CESC to accept greater liability and provide employment to a relative of each victim.