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The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to intervene in the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s directive regarding the transfer and disposal of toxic waste from the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster to Pithampur in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh.
A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and A.G. Masih also rejected a plea to halt the scheduled trial run for waste disposal, emphasizing that assessments by experts from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), and the Central Pollution Control Board had been duly considered by both the high court and the designated expert committee.
The bench advised concerned parties, including civil society representatives, to seek recourse through the high court, which remains actively engaged with the case.
On February 25, the Supreme Court had directed authorities to furnish details regarding the precautionary measures undertaken for the safe disposal of the hazardous materials. The waste, approximately 377 tonnes in volume, originated from the now-defunct Union Carbide India Ltd. (UCIL) facility in Bhopal. It has been relocated to an industrial disposal site in Pithampur, situated roughly 250 kilometers from Bhopal and 30 kilometers from Indore.
The 1984 Bhopal disaster, caused by the catastrophic release of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from the UCIL plant on the night of December 2-3, resulted in 5,479 confirmed fatalities and inflicted debilitating injuries on over half a million individuals.
The event remains one of the most devastating industrial accidents in recorded history.
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