Bhopal Gas Tragedy : SC Agrees To Hear In April Centre's Petition For Additional Compensation From Union Carbide

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear in April the curative petition filed by the Centre in 2011 for additional compensation for Bhopal gas tragedy victims from US-based Union Carbide Company( which is now owned by Dow Chemicals).

The petition filed in December 2010 seeks additional compensation of Rs.7413 crores, seeking re-examination of the apex court's February 14, 1989 judgement by which the compensation was fixed at US$ 470 million (Rs 750 crore) and subsequent orders of February 15 and May 4 determining the mode of payment and settlement.

Centre says that the earlier settlement was based on incorrect assumptions on the number of deaths, injuries and losses, and has not taken into account the subsequent environmental degradation. The settlement was based on the earlier figure of 3,000 deaths and 70,000 injury cases; the curative petition has put the death numbers at 5,295 and injury figure at 527,894. has sought.

In November 2018, a petition was filed to list the curative petition for early hearing, stating that the "matter is extremely important involving public interest" and "any further delay in hearing the matter will not be public interest and will cause irreparable loss and damage".

Today, ASG Madhavi Divan made an oral mention before the court of CJI for early listing of the petition for hearing, upon which the Court agreed to hear it in April.