Jabalpur High Court is scheduled to hear the case of Bhopal gas victims on January 17. A case has been ordered against nine officials of the Central and State Governments for not providing proper treatment and research to the gas victims, and for disobeying the 2012 order of the Supreme Court of India, regarding the health of the Bhopal gas victims.

These officers have received notice:- Aarti Ahuja, Secretary, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India, Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family, Government of India, Dr. RR Tiwari, Director of National Institute for Research on Environmental Health, Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre. ICMR Director Dr Prabha Desikan, Additional Chief Secretary Mohammad Suleman, then Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains, State Information Officer Amarkumar Sinha, NICSI Vinodkumar Vishwakarma and ICMR Senior Deputy Director, Government of India R. Rama Krishnan has received the notice.

Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information & Action welcomed this order of the judiciary. She said the order should set an example. So that all the officials who have caused this condition of the health system of the gas victims, should also get exemplary punishment.

The charge levelled on all these officers by the division bench reads, 'It is clear from the July 2023 report of the monitoring committee constituted by the Supreme Court, that despite the lapse of more than 10.5 years, all of you respondents have failed to comply with the Supreme Court's instructions. At the same time, no promptness or honesty has been shown in following the instructions of this court. Gas victims are being left in the lurches. All of you respondents have made the process of complying with these orders so difficult that you all have made the concept of PIL a joke. This Court does not find any good reason behind the laxity on the part of your respondents except your insensitivity towards the gas victims'.

The decision was given in December.

Rachna Dhingra said that the court had given the decision on December 20. After this notices were sent to the officials. But, I came to know about such an important and strict decision of the court on January 15. This case will be heard in the High Court on January 17. Dhingra said that a copy of the charge has been given to all the officers.