Bhopal gas disaster: 26 years later, eight convicted

Bhopal: Twenty six years after the world's worst industrial disaster left an estimated 15,000 and more people dead, a local court on Monday convicted all the eight accused, including former Union Carbide chairman Keshub Mahindra in the Bhopal gas tragedy case.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Mohan P Tiwari pronounced the verdict convicting 85-year-old Mahindra, and seven others in the case. The tragedy was caused by the leakage of deadly methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas in the intervening night and morning of 2-3 December 1984.

The accused were held guilty under sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), 304-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 336, 337 and 338 (gross negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.

Of all the accused, only the Indian officials and Union Carbide (India) Ltd faced trial in the Bhopal court. The others, including the then chairman of the US-based Union Carbide Corporation, Warren Anderson, and the officials of Union Carbide (Eastern) Hong Kong have been absconding with an Indian arrest warrant pending against their names.

Others found guilty are Vijay Gokhle, the then managing director of UCIL, Kishore Kamdar, the then vice president, JN Mukund, the then works manager, SP Choudhary, the then production manager, KV Shetty, the then plant superintendent and SI Quershi, the then production assistant.

The sentencing will take place later though arguments on the quantum of the sentence were put forward by defence and prosecution counsel.