NEW DELHI: The five-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday reserved verdict in curative plea for seeking additional compensation from Union Carbide Corporation (now Dow Chemical Company) for victims of the Bhopal gas disaster. Justice Khanna said that it was not correct to say that the settlement of 1989 was thrusted by the court on the parties.
“No settlement in a representative suit will be entered into without the leave of the court. So there will be some involvement of the court in a representative suit, but saying court deciding the amount is not correct,” Justice Khanna said.
“Now having settled, nothing prevents the Govt from doing more for you. They (Union Govt) have apparently not done something that they were supposed to do for you. How do you say that a settlement subsists but tops up the settlement? Can we do that,” the SC said.
‘Bureaucracy wedded to Constitution’
In case involving dispute between centre and GNCTD regarding power and transfer of bureaucrats serving GNCTD belong to All India Services, Centre told the SC that bureaucracy is not wedded to any party but to the Constitution. S-G Tushar Mehta told the bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha that UT is not but an extension of Union which may have various shades.