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25 years after Bhopal Gas Tragedy maximum punishment of two years for 8 convicted
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merisarkar news service
New Delhi, June 07, 2010 |
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A victim of Bhopal gas tragedy (Internet Extract)
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After 25 painful years of the world's worst industrial accident that killed 15,000 people, a local court in Bhopal convicted 8 people, including former chairman of the company for a maximum jail sentence of two years.
However, the former chairman of Union Carbide Corporation, 89-year-old Warren Anderson who lives in the United States, appeared to have gone scot-free as he is still an absconder and could not be subjected to the ongoing trial in India. There was no word about him in the judgement.
All the convicts applied for bail immediately after the sentencing and were granted relief in the case.
Justice Mohan P Tiwari pronounced the verdict in a packed court room convicting 85-year-old Mahindra, the non-executive former Chairman of UCIL, and seven others in the case relating to leakage of deadly methyl isocyanate gas in the night intervening 2nd and 3rd December, 1984.
They were held guilty under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), 304-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 336, 337 and 338 (gross negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.
Others found guilty were Vijay Gokhle, the then Managing Director of UCIL, Kishore Kamdar, the then Vice President, J N Mukund, the then Works Manager, S P Choudhary, the then Production Manager, K V Shetty, the then Plant Superintendent and S I Quereshi, the then Production Assistant.
Keshub Mahindra, who had declined a Padma Bhushan award in 2002 on grounds that he was facing trial in the case, and six others were present in the court while Mr. Quereshi was represented by his lawers.
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