Bhopal Gas Tragedy: SC to Hear Plea for Enhanced Compensation

The Bhopal gas disaster took place on the intervening night of 2-3 December 1984.

(Photo: Reuters)

A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Tuesday, 28 January, the Centre's plea seeking Rs 7,844 crore as additional fund from successor firms of US-based Union Carbide Corporation, now owned by Dow Chemicals, for giving compensation to victims of 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy.

The bench, comprising Justices Arun Mishra, Indira Banerjee, Vineet Saran, MR Shah and S Ravindra Bhat, will hear the curative petition filed by the Centre for enhanced compensation for the victims.

The Centre is seeking 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 in 1989 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 at the time of settlement) after the toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide factory on the intervening night of 2-3 December 1984, which killed over 3,000 people and affected 1.02 lakh more.

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.

The Centre had filed the curative petition in the apex court in December 2010 for enhanced compensation.

On 7 June 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 1 February 1992, the Bhopal CJM court had 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.