Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, March 14: The Supreme Court dismissed a curative petition on Tuesday that the Central government had filed asking for further compensation to be given by American chemical giant, Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) to the victims of the 1984 Bhopal petrol tragedy.
An increase in Union Carbide Corporation’s responsibility is not merited, according to a Constitution Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, Abhay S Oka, Vikram Nath, and JK Maheshwari, and reviving the case will simply bring more problems for the plaintiffs.
“The method to impose greater liability on UCC is not warranted. We are disappointed in the union for not having addressed this. Nearly 6 times compensation has been disbursed to the victims compared to the pro rata. Centre to use ?50 crores lying with RBI to address the needs of the claimants in the Bhopal gas tragedy case. If it is reopened, then it will only work in favour of UCC by opening a pandora’s box and will be to the detriment of the claimants,” the Court said.
The bench had postponed its decision in the case’s curative plea, which the Central government had submitted on January 12 of this year.
Supreme Court rejects Centre's curative plea for enhanced compensation for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy from US-based firm Union Carbide Corporation, now owned by Dow Chemicals. pic.twitter.com/bYaCN0VIBg
— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2023
The appeals sought more compensation for the fatalities and injuries brought on by the 1984 tragedy, including those made by survivor/victims’ organisations requesting involvement.
An earlier ruling by a high court that dealt with the amount of the settlement paid by Dow Chemicals/Union Carbide Corporation to the families of the tragedy’s victims and survivors was contested.
The court restated the boundaries of its curative petitions jurisdiction during the hearings and stated that it could not convert the matter into a lawsuit to assess the compensation again.
