Law won't make Dow accountable, Singhvi had advised

NEW DELHI: At a time when the Bhopal verdict has turned toxic for Congress, a fresh revelation about party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi’s legal advice to the Dow Chemicals appears to be complicating matters for the party.

Mr Singhvi, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, had told Dow Chemicals that did not risk any legal liability for acquiring Union Carbide Corp, whose subsidiary UCIL was responsible for the Bhopal gas tragedy that claimed over 20,000 lives
Mr Singhvi had offered legal advice to Dow Chemicals, in 2006, on whether it would be held accountable in any way post its acquisition of Union Carbide.

A TV report, which released the contents of his legal advice, said Mr Singhvi was asked to offer advice to Dow by prime minister’s principal secretary T K A Nair.

Offering his assessment of the legal point, Mr Singhvi told Dow that it cannot be in anyway held accountable for what happened in Bhopal as it had acquired Union Carbide India Ltd years after the deadly tragedy in 1984. He also told Dow that it will not be liable for the contamination and its clean-up as it can’t be seen as the successor-in-business of Union Carbide.

According to the TV channel, Mr Singhvi replied to the chemical company on his Congress spokesperson letter head. Reacting to the report, Mr Singhvi said the allegations against him was laughable.

“The allegation is laughable, it has nothing to do with Bhopal,” Mr Singhvi said. According to him, the only point on which he gave legal advice was whether UCIL and Dow Chemicals are related to each other in anyway. “It is a legal issue and has no connection (with Bhopal) or my political standing,” he said.