Group of Ministers to study Bhopal Gas verdict

New Delhi, June 9 (ANI): The Government of India has reconstituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to look into compensation and public liability aspects of industrial disasters in the context of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy verdict.

The GoM headed by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram includes Union Law and Justice Minister Veerappa Moily, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Kamal Nath, Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers MK Alagiri, Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy, Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chauhan, Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Minister of Tourism Kumari Selja.

On Monday, a District Magistrate's Court in Bhopal had convicted all eight accused on grounds of negligence under Section 304 (a) for the tragedy.

The court also granted bail to seven of the eight accused and released them on submission of a bond and a surety of Rs 25,000 each.

The eight accused are Keshub Mahendra, Vijay Gokhle, Kishore Kamdar, J Mukund, S P Choudhary, K V Shetty and S I Qureshi and R B Roy Choudhary.

Out of the accused R B Roy Choudhary, then former Assistant Works Manager Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL), Mumbai, died during the trial. Warren Andreson, the chairman of Union Carbide Worldwide, has been designated as absconder. (ANI)