The Supreme Court has initiated contempt proceedings against top government authorities for failing to comply with its decade-old directions on healthcare for Bhopal Gas Tragedy survivors. Acting on a contempt plea filed by victims’ groups, the Court has issued notices to the Union Health Ministry, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, and the Principal Secretary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department.
The case stems from the landmark 2012 judgment in Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahila Udyog Sangathan v. Union of India, where the apex court mandated systematic medical care and computerisation of patient records. The Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Jabalpur bench was tasked with monitoring the implementation. Yet, despite repeated judicial interventions including a contempt plea first filed in 2015 compliance has remained minimal.
According to the petition, the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee has filed 21 reports since 2004 (and later under Justice V.K. Agarwal after 2013), but most of its recommendations were ignored. Key concerns include chronic staff shortages at the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC), delays in recruitment, and a computerisation system that fails to provide patient-centric or comprehensive medical histories.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has repeatedly criticised the authorities’ “callous approach,” most recently in January 2025, warning of coercive measures. Similar observations were made in 2017 and 2021 when the Union Government was pulled up for inadequate responses regarding healthcare at BMHRC.
Taking note of these lapses, a bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and A.S. Chandurkar has sought explanations from the concerned officials and listed the matter for further hearing on November 14, 2025.