SC issues notice to Bhopal gas tragedy accused

A Bench comprising of Chief Justice S H Kapadia and Justices Altamas Kabir and R V Raveendran issued notices to Keshub Mahindra, V P Gokhale, Kishore Kamdar, J Mukund, S P Chaudhary, K V Shetty, S I Qureshi and Union Carbide India Ltd.

CBI has requested the Supreme Court to conduct a fresh trial under Section 304-II and if the charges are proved by the prosecution, the accused could get a life imprisonment sentence of up to 10 years.

The curative petition asking reconsideration of the Sept. 13 verdict of the Supreme Court was drafted by advocate Devadatt Kamat and certified by Attorney General G E Vahanvati.

"The perpetrators behind the leakage of MIC gas from the UCIL plant should not be allowed to walk away with a minimal punishment of two years under Section 304A in one of the world's biggest industrial catastrophes, despite ample evidence to show the commission of an offense under Section 304-II of the IPC," the CBI said.

"It is an attempt by the government to set right gross miscarriage and perpetuation of irremediable injustice being suffered by the victims in particular, the society at large and the nation as a whole," the agency added.