As the legal battle drags on, the Bhopal gas tragedy remains a sobering reminder of the challenges victims face in seeking justice, even decades after one of the world바카라s worst industrial disasters.
Four decades after the catastrophic Bhopal gas tragedy, justice continues to evade its victims. On the night of December 2-3, 1984, the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal leaked highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas, killing 5,479 people and leaving more than five lakh physically affected. Yet, the legal battles surrounding this disaster remain unresolved, with the appeals against the 2010 trial court judgment still pending.
In 2010, a trial court convicted seven individuals, including Keshub Mahindra, the former Chairman of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL), under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code for negligence and culpable homicide not amounting to murder. They were sentenced to two years in prison and fined Rs. 1,01,750 each. However, three of the convicted individuals have since passed away.
Following the judgment, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court, seeking harsher punishment, but it was dismissed. Simultaneously, the convicted individuals appealed for acquittal, claiming innocence, while the prosecution pushed for stricter sentences based on the death toll.
The trial process has been a protracted one. Since the chargesheet was filed in December 1987, the case has passed through the hands of 19 judges. After the 2010 verdict, nine more judges have presided over the appeals. Frequent judicial transfers have significantly delayed the proceedings. For instance, Judge Sushma Khosla, who heard the appeals until 2015, retired before the case was resolved, and subsequent judges, including Rajeev Dubey and Shailendra Shukla, were promoted to higher courts during their tenures.
Currently, Judge Manoj Kumar Shrivastava has resumed hearing the case after returning from his position as High Court Registrar General. Despite these developments, there has been little progress, leaving survivors disillusioned and frustrated.
The delays have drawn sharp criticism from legal experts and policymakers. Former Union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily famously referred to the 2010 verdict as an example of 바카라justice buried.바카라 He called for fast-track courts to prevent such delays in significant cases, emphasizing the need for robust investigations and accountability.
The tragedy not only exposed regulatory and industrial failures but also highlighted systemic shortcomings in India바카라s legal system. Survivors continue to demand justice for the physical, emotional, and financial toll the disaster has taken on their lives. A prominent Bhopal-based lawyer has suggested that the High Court designate a single judge to oversee the appeals, which could expedite the resolution of the case.
As the legal battle drags on, the Bhopal gas tragedy remains a sobering reminder of the challenges victims face in seeking justice, even decades after one of the world바카라s worst industrial disasters.
(This article is a reworked version of a PTI feed.)