SC agrees to hear plea seeking extra compensation for Bhopal tragedy victims

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 28

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More than eight years after the Centre moved the Supreme Court seeking an additional compensation of Rs 7,844 crore from successor firms of US-based Union Carbide Corporation-now owned by Dow Chemicals-for victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, it has agreed to hear the plea after three months.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Monday said it would hear in April the Central government's curative petition for enhanced compensation for the victims of the industrial disaster.

In its December 2010 curative petition, the Centre sought a direction to Union Carbide and other firms for Rs 7,844 crore additional amount over and above the earlier settlement amount of USD 470 million for paying compensation to the gas tragedy victims.

Over 3,000 people had died in the tragedy due to release of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. The Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) gave a compensation of USD 470 million (Rs 715 crore) after the toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide factory on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, killed over 3,000 people and affected 1.02 lakh others.

The survivors of the 1984 tragedy have been fighting for long for adequate compensation and proper medical treatment for ailments caused by the toxic leak.

On June 7, 2010, a Bhopal court had convicted seven executives of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) to two years' imprisonment in connection with the incident.

Then UCC chairman, Warren Anderson was the prime accused in the case but did not appear for the trial. On February 1, 1992, the Bhopal CJM court declared him an absconder. The courts in Bhopal had issued non-bailable warrants against Anderson twice-in 1992 and 2009. Anderson died in September, 2014.