The Supreme Court’s decision to examine CBI’s plea for restoration of the grave charge of culpable homicide against 1984 Bhopal gas leak case accused has been welcomed by the social activists and top law officer said his sincere efforts would be to get the petition heard by the apex court.

Founder of Gas Pidit Mahila Udyog Sansthan Abdul Jabbar and an activist Satinath Sarangi also hailed the decision of the Supreme Court and expressed the hope that the justice would be delivered soon.

While expressing happiness over CBI’s initiative to approach the Supreme Court, S R Mohanty, the Principal Secretary, Madhya Pradesh government, said that CBI took it up and the Supreme Court had issued notice. This opens the possibility of meeting the ends of justice.

Sunita Narain, Chairman of Centre for Science and Environment, said the apex court’s decision has assured that we are on the road to justice.

Earlier the Supreme Court issued notices to all the accused in Bhopal gas leak case. This follows a petition by the CBI seeking to restore against them , the stringent charge of culpable homicide, which attracts a maximum punishment of 10 year jail term. During in-chamber proceedings, a bench comprising Chief Justice S H Kapadia and Justices Altamas Kabir and R V Raveendran sought response from the accused on the curative petition filed by the probe agency seeking recall of the apex court’s 14-year-old judgement.

The accused include former Union Carbide India Chairman Keshav Mahindra and six others. The curative petition was filed after a nationwide outrage over the trial court judgement in the 26-year-old case. Following this the Centre appointed a Group of Ministers to recommend steps including ways to get the punishment enhanced. Over 15 thousand people died and thousands maimed in the worst industrial disaster in December 1986.

Bhopal gas disaster victims and NGO’s working among them have welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to consider the CBI’s curative petition against the apex court’s 1996 order diluting charges against accused in the Bhopal gas tragedy criminal case. AIR correspondent Shariq Noor reports from Bhopal that the Supreme Court’s move has given rise to hope of justice among the gas victims once again after 26 years. Most of the gas victims and NGO’s working for them have demanded that Supreme Court should set up a special court for hearing of the case so that justice is dispensed to the victims at the earliest. They also de