Bhopal gas tragedy: SC rejects Centre’s plea for enhanced compensation for victims from Union Carbide Corporation | India News
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the Centre’s curative plea for enhanced compensation of over Rs 7,000 crore for the victims of 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy from US-based firm Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), now owned by Dow Chemicals. Over 3,000 people lost their lives in the tragedy, which also caused massive environmental damage.
Dismissing the curative petition to reopen the case to top up the compensation amount, a five-judge constitution bench said it disapproves the Centre’s decision to rake up the issue after two decades.
“Centre itself stated earlier that the amount paid by Union Carbide Corporation was sufficient to settle all the claims of victims and there was no merit in Centre’s plea as Rs 50 crore of the amount still remain unutilised,” the apex court said.
On January 12, the successor firms of UCC told the top court that the depreciation of the rupee since 1989, when a settlement was arrived at between the company and the Centre, cannot be a ground to now seek a ‘top-up’ of compensation for the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy.
-With agency inputs
Dismissing the curative petition to reopen the case to top up the compensation amount, a five-judge constitution bench said it disapproves the Centre’s decision to rake up the issue after two decades.
“Centre itself stated earlier that the amount paid by Union Carbide Corporation was sufficient to settle all the claims of victims and there was no merit in Centre’s plea as Rs 50 crore of the amount still remain unutilised,” the apex court said.
On January 12, the successor firms of UCC told the top court that the depreciation of the rupee since 1989, when a settlement was arrived at between the company and the Centre, cannot be a ground to now seek a ‘top-up’ of compensation for the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy.
-With agency inputs
