Bhopal Gas tragedy matter in SC delayed again as Justice Bhat recuses from hearing plea

The hearing of the Centre’s curative plea seeking enhanced compensation for the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy victims was delayed yet again as Justice Ravindra Bhat recused himself from the matter. Reportedly, he was the counsel for the Union government in the same case in 1989. During the hearing, Justice Arun Mishra stated that CJI SA Bobde would decide the composition of the new 5-judge bench. Thereafter, the matter was adjourned till Wednesday. Originally, the Centre had sought an early listing of the curative plea filed in December 2010. 

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The Bhopal Gas tragedy

There was a massive calamity in Bhopal on December 3, 1984, when the leak of poisonous gas from the Union Carbide pesticide plant killed thousands of people. While the initial death toll was speculated to be less than 3,000, the activists fighting for the Bhopal Gas tragedy estimate that nearly 8,000 to 10,000 people passed away in the tragedy. While Warren Anderson, the Chairman of Union Carbide who was the main accused in the case absconded from legal proceedings in India, a Bhopal court convicted 7 persons associated with the company and sentenced them to two-year imprisonment. Anderson passed away in 2014.  

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Additional compensation of Rs.7,844 crore sought

In its judgment delivered in 1989, the SC had ordered Union Carbide to pay a compensation of $470 million. However, the Centre contends that this was based on a wrong number of injuries and deaths. For instance, the curative plea mentions that 5,295 people died while 70,000 suffered injuries in the tragedy. The earlier figure of casualties was pegged at 3,000. Therefore, the Centre has sought additional compensation of Rs.7,844 crore. Moreover, the curative plea seeks stricter punishment for the convicted Union Carbide executives who allegedly had full knowledge of the fatal design flaws of the pesticide plant in Bhopal.  

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