Bhopal tragedy: Hearing in open court on Feb 28

The Supreme Court on Thursday decided it will hear, in an open court on February 28, the Centre’s curative petition seeking an additional compensation of R7,844 crore for the Bhopal gas tragedy victims.

The Supreme Court on Thursday decided it will hear, in an open court on February 28, the Centre’s curative petition seeking an additional compensation of Rs 7,844 crore for the Bhopal gas tragedy victims.

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Twenty-six years after the disaster, the Centre had on December 3, 2010 filed a curative petition, requesting the court to direct Union Carbide Corporation’s successor Dow Chemicals to pay the additional compensation.

The Centre was of the view that the basic assumptions of facts forming the basis of the apex court’s earlier orders on compensation were incorrect.

This is the second curative petition relating to Bhopal gas tragedy case that will be heard in an open court.

The petition by the ministry of chemicals and fertilizers has sought re-examination of the SC’s February 14, 1989 judgment fixing the compensation at US$470 million (R750 crore) and three subsequent orders on the issue.

The government said it has approached the SC as the legal guardian of the gas victims ‘in an attempt to cure gross miscarriage of justice’ and the court should consider it on merits and not on technical considerations.