Singhvi helped Dow in Bhopal gas leak mess
New Delhi: Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a Supreme Court lawyer, told the Dow Chemicals company it didn’t risk any legal liability for acquiring Union Carbide Corp, the firm blamed for Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984.
CNN-IBN has accessed documents that show Singhvi, a Rajya Sabha MP, gave a legal clean chit to Dow Chemicals when it acquired Union Carbide in 2001. Dow Chemicals sought Singhvi's opinion on the advice of T K A Nair, who was then principal secretary to the Prime Minister, in June 2006. Dow Chemicals had asked Singhvi for his opinion on two counts: whether it could be held responsible and/or liable for the Bhopal gas tragedy. Singhvi's opinion was Dow Chemicals was nowhere in the picture in 1984 and was not connected with Union Carbide when the tragedy happened. He also said the American parent company was not in charge of the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal and had divested all stake in its Indian arm -- Union Carbide of India Ltd -- in 1994. Singhvi told Dow Chemicalsthat it could not be regarded as successor-in-business of Union Carbide.
Dow Chemicals asked Singhvi whether it could be held liable for contamination and/or subsequent cleaning up of the Union Carbide plant site in Bhopal.
Singhvi told the company it could not be held liable for cleaning up and contamination, as even Union Carbide had not been held liable.
Civic groups fighting for the gas tragedy victims are questioning why a Congress leader is advised Dow Chemicals. The say criminal liability cannot be removed in a case like this and wants Dow Chemicals to pay up. The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers too wants Dow to pay Rs 100 crore as remediation fund. None of this happened.
The Congress is already under pressure to explain how Warren Anderson, chairman of Union Carbide in 1984, was allowed to leave the country within hours after his arrest. The revelations about Singhvi could force the party to face some more tough questions.
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