The U.S. government has not taken any decision on the CBI’s request for the extradition of the former Union Carbide Corporation chief, Warren Anderson, the investigating agency said in a status report submitted before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court (CJM) Bhopal on Tuesday.
The CBI has been seeking extradition of Anderson for the December 1984 gas leak at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, which caused thousands of deaths.
The gas victims condemned the U.S. action and criticised the Government of India for “non-issuance of reminders” to the US.
The CBI report stated that it forwarded the request for extradition to the Ministry of External Affairs on April 5, 2011 and then it was transmitted to the U.S. authorities through diplomatic channels. Eventually, it reached the Department of Justice, U.S., the report says. However, “the extradition request is still under examination and no decision has been taken,” the CBI said in the report.
The CJM issued a non-bailable arrest warrant in 1992 against Anderson. As he didn’t appear in the court, the CJM issued another non-bailable warrant in July 2009.
“It is pathetic that the Government of India has not even bothered to issue any reminders to the U.S. State and Justice Departments to take a quick decision on extraditing Anderson to face trial in the Bhopal District Court. Many promises were made by the Central and Madhya Pradesh governments to ensure his extradition and to set up a fast track court but all those promises remain unfulfilled till date,” said Nawab Khan of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
