In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court has declined to intervene in the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s decisions regarding the disposal of toxic waste from the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. The waste will continue to be relocated for disposal in the Pithampur area of Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh.
The bench, comprising Justices B R Gavai and A G Masih, also refused to stay the trial run of the disposal process scheduled for Thursday at the Union Carbide India Ltd plant. The decision comes after careful consideration of expert opinions from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), all of which were reviewed by both the High Court and an appointed expert panel.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court bench directed any parties with grievances, including civil society groups, to present their concerns directly to the High Court, which currently holds jurisdiction over the case.
The issue of waste disposal from the Bhopal disaster has been a long-standing environmental and health concern. In 1984, a catastrophic leak of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from the Union Carbide factory led to one of the worst industrial disasters in history, immediately killing 5,479 people and causing significant health issues for over five hundred thousand survivors.
On February 25, prior to this ruling, the Supreme Court had requested updates from relevant authorities on the safety measures being implemented for the disposal process. Approximately 377 tonnes of hazardous waste had been transported to the Pithampur industrial area, located roughly 250 km from Bhopal and 30 km from Indore.
