Thaindian News

New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) The Congress Monday expressed its disappointment over the delay in justice to the victims of Bhopal gas tragedy, saying the administrative and judicial system should be capable of early decisions.
“People who feel that the victims (of Bhopal gas tragedy) should have got justice earlier are right. It is a serious question. The system should be such that there is no delay in providing justice in such tragedies,” Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters.

Answering queries about the decision of the court convicting seven former officials of Union Carbide for criminal negligence in the world’s worst industrial disaster that happened more than 25 years ago, Dwivedi said that “the system should be sensitive to take early decisions.”

“Justice gets entangled in winding processes. The process of getting justice should be simple,” he said.

A trial court in Bhopal Monday convicted Union Carbide and seven of its officials for criminal negligence and causing lethal gas leakage and sentenced the seven to two years in jail.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Mohan P. Tiwari also imposed a fine of Rs.100,000 on the seven, including Keshub Mahindra, who then headed the Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL). Tonnes of lethal gas leaked from the Union Carbide’s pesticide plant in Bhopal on the night of Dec 2-3, 1984, killing thousands instantly and many more later.

The others convicted include UCIL officers Vijay Gokhale, J. Mukund, S.P. Chaudhary, K.V. Shetty, Kishore Kamdar and S.I. Quereshi. Quereshi didn’t appear before the court due to ill health. Another accused, R.B Roy Chaudhary, died during the trial.

Warren Anderson, former chairman of Union Carbide Corp, the American parent company, is absconding.

The toll from the tragedy is believed to be about 25,000.