Moily welcomes Supreme Court's order on Bhopal gas leak case

New Delhi, May 11 (ANI): Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily on Wednesday welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court's decision to dismiss the curative petition filed by the nodal probe agency Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Bhopal gas leak case.

Addressing mediapersons here, Moily said the apex court's decision would be upheld.

"After all these matters came up, the GoM (Group of Ministers) decided to go for the curative petition on this. After obtaining the opinion from the learned Attorney General of India, we have filed the curative petition and the Supreme Court in its wisdom has dismissed it. We will abide by the petition," said Moily.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court said that it was not satisfied by the arguments raised by the CBI in the curative petition.

The court had also questioned the CBI for approaching it over 14 years after it had diluted the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the accused in the case.

Despite being questioned by journalists on the matter, Moily did not make further comments on the court's verdict, and asserted his government had adequately compensated the victims and their families.

"We have, you know, the very fact we have given more compensation, we have released more money from the government of India, we came to their rescue, you know. It is all on record," said Moily

The Supreme Court had on August 31 last year reopened the Bhopal gas leak case and issued notices to all the accused on the basis of a petition filed by the CBI seeking to restore against them the charge of culpable homicide, which attracts a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S. H. Kapadia and Justices Altamas Kabir and R. V. Raveendran had sought response from the accused on the curative petition, which wanted a reconsideration of the 1996 judgment that had diluted charges against former Union Carbide India Chairman Keshub Mahindra and six others.

In the early hours of December 3, 1984, around 40 metric tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked into the atmosphere and was carried by the wind to the surrounding slums.

The government says around 3,500 died because of the disaster. Activists however calculate that 25,000 people died in the immediate aftermath and the years that followed. (ANI)