Court backs CBI plea for Anderson's extradition in Bhopal case

New Delhi, Mar 23 (PTI) An Indian court wednesday
allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India's
premier investigation agency's plea for extradition of former
Union Carbide Corporation chairman Warren M Anderson, an
accused in the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy case, from the United
States, saying that "sentiments of the disaster-hit people" is
linked to it.
"Considering the entire gamut of facts in its holistic
perspective and the sentiments of disaster-hit people, I deem
it expedient and in the interest of justice that there is no
bar in law in seeking extradition of Warren Anderson from the
corresponding US authorities," Chief Metropolitan Magistrate
(CMM) Vinod Yadav said.
The court also said that there is no reason that the
US authorities will not heed to the extradition plea.
"I see no ground or reason that why the US authorities
would not cooperate with the CBI in extraditing Anderson. The
request of the CBI for extradition of Anderson stands
allowed," the CMM said.
"Let extradition request to the corresponding US
authorities be sent through appropriate ministry for
compliance," the court said.
The court's order came on a CBI plea seeking
permission to get 90-year-old Anderson extradited to stand
trial in a Bhopal court on charges of culpable homicide not
amounting to murder in connection with the world's worst
industrial disaster that left over 15,000 people dead and
maimed over five lakh besides killing thousands of animals.
The CBI argued before the court about the seriousness
in getting Anderson extradited which it had been trying since
1987 when the charge sheet was filed in the case in the court
of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Bhopal, the capital city of
the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh .
"A chronology of steps taken by the CBI, right from
1992 till July 2010 in the case would reveal that the CBI was
not sleeping over the matter and was conscious about its
duties to bring Warren Anderson to book," the judge noted.