Mahindra among five Bhopal gas convicts granted bail

BHOPAL: Former Union Carbide India chairman Keshub Mahindra and four others convicted on June 7 in the Bhopal Gas leak case were today granted bail by a court.

UCIL former Managing Director Vijay Gokhle, former Vice President Kishore Kamdar, former Works Manager J Mukund and former Production Manager S P Choudhry were others granted bail by Chief Judicial Magistrate R V Singh.

Former Plant Superintendent K V Shetty and former Operator S I Qureshi, who were also convicted, did not get bail today as they were not present in the court.

The convicts had filed an appeal in the sessions court against the June 7 verdict which had directed them to seek bail from Chief Judicial Magistrate.

They were sentenced under section 304 A, 336, 337 and 338 read with section 35 of the IPC under which each was awarded two years imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 1 lakh under different sections was imposed on them by CJM Mohan P Tiwari.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters outside the court, Mahindra said he wanted to do some work for the gas victims.

"I have been saying for last 20 years that it is my desire to do something concrete for the gas victims."

Mahindra said he did not accept the charges framed against him in the 1984 Bhopal gas leak case.

He said he had resigned from the membership of a business committee set up by the Prime Minister as he did not consider it proper to continue.