Law & Justice
Supreme Court Directs Gujarat High Court to Identify Victims of 2022 Pesticide Plant Accident for Compensation
By PTI
The Supreme Court on Wednesday instructed the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court to initiate a suo motu case to identify individuals affected by a 2022 industrial accident at a pesticide plant operated by PSU Bharat Rasayan Ltd in Gujarat. This action aims to facilitate the payment of compensation to the victims. The incident, which occurred on May 17, 2022, at the Dahej pesticide plant, resulted in eight fatalities and multiple injuries. A reactor defect is believed to have caused an explosion and subsequent fire, also raising concerns about toxic emissions and chemical contamination.
Applying the "polluter pays" principle, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had previously, on May 29, 2024, levied an environmental compensation of approximately ₹13.5 crore against the PSU. The NGT also mandated that the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) utilize this sum for environmental restoration and improvement within a 10-kilometer radius of the plant. A Supreme Court bench, consisting of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, acknowledged submissions from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) confirming the GPCB's directive to allocate the funds strictly for environmental enhancement and restoration.
The bench was also informed that an additional ₹3.27 crore is held by the apex court registry, designated for disbursement to the accident victims, their family members, or legal heirs. However, authorities have encountered difficulties in identifying these beneficiaries. Consequently, the bench directed the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court to register a suo motu case to identify the victims or their families for the distribution of the compensation amount held by the apex court registry. In the interim, the Supreme Court registry was instructed to place the funds in a fixed deposit for an additional year, to be released once the high court identifies the eligible recipients. Previously, the top court had declined to reduce the 5 percent turnover-based environmental compensation imposed on Bharat Rasayan Ltd. following the 2022 industrial accident, and the related petition was subsequently disposed of.