Supreme Court Declines to Intervene in Union Carbide Waste Disposal

The Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a request to stay the removal of toxic waste from the Union Carbide plant, relocated to Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh. State authorities are managing the disposal under the guidance of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma noted that the petitioners had approached both the Madhya Pradesh High Court and the Supreme Court for a stay but had been unsuccessful. The bench determined that further intervention from the Supreme Court was unnecessary as various expert bodies are involved, and the disposal process is supervised by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The Supreme Court deferred the matter for a hearing in July after its vacation.

The petitioner, Chinmay Mishra, argued that the disposal would continue for 72 days, potentially harming Pithampur residents due to the lack of consultation about the waste transfer from Bhopal. In February, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the matter would remain under the High Court's jurisdiction due to existing oversight and stated any grievances should be addressed there. The High Court had earlier criticized the state's slow handling of the waste, ordering its prompt disposal.

(With inputs from agencies.)