Bhopal: The quantum of sentence to the eight held guilty in the Bhopal gas tragedy case is expected to be pronounced later Monday by 5 pm.
Keshub Mahindra, current chairman of top utility vehicle and tractor maker Mahindra & Mahindra, was the highest ranking person convicted. He was the chairman of the Union Carbide India Ltd, a unit of Union Carbide, at the time of the accident.
Among the others are UCIL officers Vijay Gokhale, J. Mukund, S.P. Chaudhary, K.V. Shetty, Kishor Kamdar and S.I. Quireshee. Quireshee didn't appear before the court due to ill health. Another accused, R.B Chaudhary, died during the trial.
They were held guilty under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), 304-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 336, 337 and 338 (gross negligence) of the Indian Penal Code and faces a sentence of up to two years in jail or a fine.
Warren Anderson, former chairman of Union Carbide Corp, the American parent company, is absconding.
Union Carbide's Indian arm was also found guilty. Those convicted can appeal to a higher court.
"It's actually going to be nothing. What is it? We're looking at maximum punishment of two years or a fine. If that's not the biggest joke, then I don't know what is," Rachna Dhingra, a Bhopal rights activist, said. "There's nothing to be happy about."
The verdict in Bhopal applied only to Indian officials of the former Union Carbide's Indian arm while separate cases have been filed against the company and its overseas officials.
Union Carbide had settled its liabilities to the government in 1989 before being bought over by Dow Chemical.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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