Today, On 25th February, The Supreme Court scheduled an urgent hearing on a plea challenging the first trial run for disposing of Bhopal gas tragedy waste. Justice Gavai told the Madhya Pradesh State counsel that the court would not interfere unless it was proven that the waste transportation and dumping posed a risk to Pithampur’s local population. The case raises environmental and public health concerns regarding the safe disposal of toxic waste.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court agreed to urgently hear petitions contesting the transportation and dumping of hazardous chemical waste from the Bhopal gas tragedy site at Pithampur.
The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, February 27, 2025, as the first case on the agenda.
A Bench led by Justice B.R. Gavai decided to expedite the hearing after petitioners urgently mentioned that a trial run involving 10 metric tonnes of waste was set to take place on February 27.
Justice Gavai informed the Madhya Pradesh state counsel that the court would refrain from intervening unless it was demonstrated that the transportation and disposal of the waste posed a risk to the local population in Pithampur.
The Bench, which included Justice A.G. Masih, emphasized that it was the responsibility of the state government to assure the apex court that its actions would not jeopardize public health and safety.
Justice Gavai instructed the state government,
“We will call the case on February 27. You (State of Madhya Pradesh) get experts to tell us that you have taken ample care and back it with proof,”
The urgent mention followed a directive from the Madhya Pradesh High Court on February 18, which ordered the state to conduct a trial run for disposing of 10 metric tonnes of Union Carbide’s waste material at the Pithampur facility on February 27, ensuring all protocols were followed.
Justice Gavai remarked,
“Knowing we are seized of the issue, the High Court should have stayed its hands,”
This High Court order came just a day after the Supreme Court, on February 17, decided to review petitions challenging its earlier ruling that allowed the transportation and disposal of 337 metric tonnes of waste from the Bhopal site to the Pithampur facility.
The Supreme Court also issued formal notices to the Union government, the Madhya Pradesh state government, and the state’s Pollution Control Board.
The petitioner, Chinmay Mishra, approached the Supreme Court regarding the High Court’s orders from December 2024 and January 2025. In December, the High Court expressed concern that highly toxic chemical waste remained buried at the abandoned Union Carbide factory site in Bhopal, even 40 years after the methyl isocyanate gas leak resulted in over 5,400 deaths.
The January order urged the media not to mislead the public about the waste disposal in Pithampur.
Senior advocate Devdatt Kamat, representing the petitioner, highlighted that the local community in Pithampur was “up in arms” against the transportation of the waste to their area.
He pointed out that Pithampur is an industrial zone, densely populated, and located only 30 kilometers from Indore city, stating,
“There is not even a proper government hospital situated in Pithampur.”
The 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy resulted from a methyl isocyanate gas leak at the Union Carbide pesticide plant, leading to thousands of deaths and long-term health issues for the affected population. The current disposal efforts represent a significant step toward mitigating the environmental legacy of this catastrophic event.
Case Title: CHINMAY MISHRA Versus UNION OF INDIA AND ORS., Diary No. 3661-2025