NEW DELHI, India, July 8, Reuter: The Indian government on Friday asked the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling reducing compensation to victims of the world’s worst industrial accident, government sources said. The Union Carbide Corporation, whose pesticide factory fat Bhopal leaked poison gas in December 1984 killing 2,500 people and injuring some 200,000 was ordered to pay interim compensation of 270 million dollars last December. But in April the state high court cut this to 192 million dollars.
The Indian government, acting on behalf of the victims, maintains the High Court had no right to reduce the initial award, and on Friday petitioned the Supreme Court to order payment in full.
No relief has yet been paid to the victims, and no date been set for a Supreme Court hearing,
Last month, District Court Judge M.W. Deo, who fixed the 270 million dollar sum, refused to step down from the case after lawyers acting for the U.S. Company accused him of bias.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 15, 1988
