Union Carbide plant (data map)
The victims of the gas tragedy that happened in Bhopal 40 years ago have still not received justice. This tragedy, which resulted in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of disabilities, was extremely tragic. Even today, victims shudder to recall those days. Amazingly, for 40 years, 29 judges heard the case, but the people on trial could not get justice.
On December 2 and 3, 1984, the Union Carbide poison gas tragedy occurred in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, but the poison gas continued to destroy many families over the years. There are still many newborns of affected families in Bhopal who are affected by this gas. But he did not give up and kept fighting for his rights.
Forty years of hope for justice
In the first 25 years, 29 judges heard the Bhopal gas tragedy; in the past 14 years, 10 judges heard appeals. Surprisingly, justice has not yet been served in this case that killed 5,479 people and affected more than 500,000 people.
A lawyer involved in the case said that on June 7, 2010, the lower court had convicted seven people, three of whom died. These include former Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) chairman Keshub Mahindra, former UCIL managing director Vijay Prabhakar Gokhale and UCIL Bhopal division director KV Shetty. The defendants were found guilty of negligent causing the accident, manslaughter and gross negligence.
The court imposed so many fines
The court sentenced the seven convicts in the case to two years’ imprisonment and fined them Rs 1,01,750. After the verdict was announced in the case, the prosecutor’s office, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court, demanding severe punishment for the murderer, but it was rejected. In this case, the convicts who were released on bail challenged the 2010 decision, saying they were innocent and should be acquitted.
Prosecutors have also appealed
Prosecutors have also filed an appeal seeking increased penalties for each death, lawyers said. When contacted over phone, CBI lawyer Siyaram Meena declined to talk about the status of the case and said he was not authorized to disclose details related to the case.
