(June 7, 2010) A court on Monday found the Indian unit of U.S. chemicals firm Union
Carbide and seven Indian former employees guilty of negligence over one of the world's
worst industrial accidents that killed thousands in 1984. Union Carbide plant in
the central city of Bhopal accidentally released toxic gases into the air and the
government says around 3,500 people died as a result. Activists say 25,000 died in
the immediate aftermath and the years that followed. The verdict is the first in
more than 25 years that could lead to jail sentences of up to two years and fines
for those convicted, though rights activists said the punishment would be too light.
Keshub Mahindra, current chairman of India's top utility vehicle and tractor maker
Mahindra & Mahindra, was the highest ranking person convicted on Monday. He was chairman
of Union Carbide India Ltd, a unit of Union Carbide, at the time of the accident.
Union Carbide's Indian arm was also found guilty. Those convicted can appeal to a
higher court, a process that in India can take years. The verdict in Bhopal applied
only to Indian officials of the former Union Carbide's Indian arm while separate cases
have been filed against the company and its overseas officials. Union Carbide had
settled its liabilities to the Indian government in 1989 before being bought over
by Dow Chemical.