Fourteen years after it had diluted charges in the Bhopal gas leak case, the Supreme Court on August 31 decided to re-examine its own judgement that led to lighter punishment of two years imprisonment for the accused including former Union Carbide India chairman Keshub Mahindra. The court sought response from the seven accused on the CBI plea seeking restoration of the stringent charge of culpable homicide, which attracts a maximum punishment of 10 years’ jail term, against them for the world’s worst industrial disaster that left over 15,000 people dead and thousands maimed. In chamber proceedings, a bench comprising Chief Justice S H Kapadia and Justices Altamas Kabir and R V Raveendran, issued notices on the curative petition filed by CBI seeking recall of the apex court’s 1996 judgement that had diluted the offence. The curative petition was filed after a nationwide outrage over the trial court judgement in the 26-year-old case following which the Centre appointed a Group of Ministers (GoM) to recommend steps including ways to get the punishment enhanced.
SC ISSUES NOTICE TO KESHUB MAHINDRA, 6 OTHERS IN BHOPAL GAS CASE
Fourteen years after it had diluted charges in the Bhopal gas leak case, the Supreme Court on August 31 decided to re-examine its own judgement that led to lighter punishment of two years imprisonment for the accused including former Union Carbide India chairman Keshub Mahindra.
