- (1.) This petition under Article 32 of the Constitution is by the "bhopal gas Peedit Udyog Sangathan", an organisation said to represent a S. of the victims of the Bhopal gas leak and seeks to espouse a public cause, that of the victims of the gas leak disaster.
(2.) It is averred that a scheme for grant of interim relief to the victims of the gas disaster at the rate of Rs. 200. 00 per month was sanctioned by the union government and the scheme commenced from 1/04/1990. The scheme envisaged payment of interim relief to all the residents of the thirty-six severely affected wards and was to the benefit of those who were actually present in the wards on the night of. the occurrence. The scheme, as initially envisaged, was to last for a period of three years which has since run out on 31/03/1993.
(3.) A supplemental scheme for those who, though said to be eligible, had been left out from the list of beneficiaries in the first scheme, was sanctioned and about one hundred thousand and odd additional beneficiaries were given the same interim maintenance at the rate of rs 200 per month for a period of three years commencing from 1/03/1992. We are not concerned here with the beneficiaries of this supplemental scheme. The question of the continuance or otherwise of that scheme will arise only after the expiry of three years from March I, 1992.;