Bhopal tragedy: Keshub Mahindra gets bail

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Bhopal tragedy: Keshub Mahindra gets bail
Bhopal: A Sessions Court here on Thurday granted bail to Union Carbide’s former India chairman Keshub Mahindra in Bhopal gas tragedy case. The court, however, directed that he can not leave the country without its permission.

It reserved its order on the bail application of six other UCIL executives who were also convicted in the case last month.

The court on Tuesday had adjourned hearing on the petition challenging the trial court's verdict awarding 2 years' imprisonment to seven Union Carbide executives, including its former India chairman Keshub Mahindra, in the case.

District and Session Judge Subhash Kakde granted bail to Mahindra on condition that he would attend the court's proceeding regularly and would not leave the country without its permission.

Judge Kakde asked Mahindra to furnish personal and security bond of Rs one lakh each.

The court reserved its order on the bail plea of other six convicts UCIL former Managing Director Vijay Gokhale, former Vice President Kishore Kamdar, former Works Manager J Mukund, former Production Manager S P Choudhary, former Plant Superintendent K V Shetty and former Operator SI Qureshi.

Senior prosecutor Dinesh Dinkar, representing Madhya Pradesh government, had opposed the plea and contended the punishment of two years' imprisonment awarded to the convicts was too little as compared to the magnitude of the tragedy.

The petition was filed by defence counsel, Ajay Gupta, on behalf of the seven convicted executives of Union Carbide under section 374 of the CRPC under which an appeal can be filed in the Sessions Court against the order.

In the petition, the convicts' contended they be absolved of all charges in Bhopal gas disaster case as the incident, which took place on the intervening nights of December 2-3, 1984, "was merely an accident and not an act of negligence."
 
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