THE BHOPAL GAS LEAK DISASTER (PROCESSING OF CLAIMS) ACT, 1985
 
ACT NO. 21 OF 1985
 
[29th March, 1985.]
 

An Act  to confer  certain powers  on the Central Government to secure
that claims  arising out  of, or  connected with,  the Bhopal gas leak
disaster are  dealt with  speedily, effectively,  equitably and to the
best advantage of the claimants and for matters incidental thereto.

      BE it  enacted by  Parliament in  the Thirty-sixth  Year  of  the
Republic of India as follows:--

 
1.
 
Short title and commencement.
 

      1. Short  title and  commencement. (1) This Act may be called the
Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster (Processing of Claims) Act, 1985.

      (2) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 20th day of
February, 1985.

 
2.
 
Definitions.
 

      2.  Definitions.  In  this  Act,  unless  the  context  otherwise
requires,--

           (a) "Bhopal  gas leak  disaster"  or  "disaster"  means  the
      occurrence on  the 2nd  and 3rd  days of  December,  1984,  which
      involved the  release of  highly noxious and abnormally dangerous
      gas from  a plant  in Bhopal  (being a plant of the Union Carbide
      India Limited,  a subsidiary  of the  Union Carbide  Corporation,
      U.S.A.) and which resulted in loss of life and damage to property
      on an extensive scale;

           (b) "claim" means--

                (i) a  claim, arising  out of,  or connected  with, the
           disaster, for  compensation or  damages for any loss of life
           or personal  injury which  has been,  or is  likely  to  be,
           suffered;

                (ii) a  claim, arising  out of,  or connected with, the
           disaster, for  any damage  to property which has been, or is
           likely to be, sustained;

                (iii) a  claim for  expenses incurred or required to be
           incurred  for  containing  the  disaster  or  mitigating  or
           otherwise coping with the effects of the disaster;

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                (iv) any  other claim  (including any  claim by  way of
           loss of business or employment) arising out of, or connected
           with, the disaster;

           (c) "claimant" means a person entitled to make a claim;

           (d) "Commissioner"  means the  Commissioner appointed  under
      section 6;

           (e) "person" includes the Government;

           (f) "Scheme" means a Scheme framed under section 9.

      Explanation.--For the  purposes of clauses (b) and (c), where the
death of  a person  has taken  place as  a result of the disaster, the
claim for  compensation or  damages for the death of such person shall
be for  the benefit  of the spouse, children (including a child in the
womb) and  other heirs  of the deceased and they shall be deemed to be
the claimants in respect thereof.

 
3.
 
Power of Central Government to represent claimants.
 

      3. Power  of  Central  Government  to  represent  claimants.  (1)
Subject to  the other  provisions of  this Act, the Central Government
shall, and  shall have  the exclusive  right to, represent, and act in
place of  (whether within or outside India) every person who has made,
or is  entitled to  make, a claim for all purposes connected with such
claim in the same manner and to the same effect as such person.

      (2) In  particular and without prejudice to the generality of the
provisions of  sub-section  (1),  the  purposes  referred  to  therein
include--

           (a) institution of any suit or other proceeding in or before
      any court or other authority (whether within or outside India) or
      withdrawal of any such suit or other proceeding, and

           (b) entering into a compromise.

      (3) The  provisions  of  sub-section  (1)  shall  apply  also  in
relation to claims in respect of which suits or other proceedings have
been instituted  in or  before any  court or  other authority (whether
within or outside India) before the commencement of this Act:

      Provided that  in the  case of  any such suit or other proceeding
with respect  to any claim pending immediately before the commencement
of this  Act in  or before any court or other authority outside India,
the Central  Government shall represent, and act in place of, or along
with, such claimant, if such court or other authority so permits.

 
4.
 
Claimant's  right  to  be represented by a legal practition, Power ofCentral
Government.
 

      4. Claimant's  right to  be represented  by a  legal  practition,
Power of  Central  Government.  Notwithstanding  anything contained in
section 3, in  representing,  and  acting  in  place of, any person in
relation to any claim, the Central Government shall have due regard to
any  matters which such person may require to be urged with respect to
his  claim and shall, if such person so desires, permit at the expense
of such person, a legal practitioner of his choice to be associated in
the conduct of any suit or other proceeding relating to his claim.

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5.
 
Power of Central Government.
 

      5.  Power   of  Central   Government.  (1)  For  the  purpose  of
discharging its functions under this Act, the Central Government shall
have the powers of a civil court while trying a suit under the Code of
Civil Procedure,  1908 (5  of  1908.)  in  respect  of  the  following
matters, namely:--

           (a) summoning  and enforcing  the attendance  of any  person
      from any part of India and examining him on oath;

           (b) requiring the discovery and production of any document;

           (c) receiving evidence on affidavits;

           (d) requisitioning  any public  record or  copy thereof from
      any court or office;

           (e) issuing  commissions for the examination of witnesses or
      documents;

           (f) any  other matter  which the  Central Government may, by
      notification in the Official Gazette, specify.

      (2) Every  notification made  under clause (f) of sub-section (1)
shall be  laid, as  soon as may be after it is made, before each House
of Parliament,  while it  is in  session, for a total period of thirty
days which  may be  comprised  in  one  session  or  in  two  or  more
successive  sessions,  and  if,  before  the  expiry  of  the  session
immediately  following   the  session   or  the   successive  sessions
aforesaid, both  Houses  agree  in  making  any  modification  in  the
notification or  both Houses agree that the notification should not be
made, the  notification shall  thereafter have  effect  only  in  such
modified form  or be  of no  effect, as  the case may be; so, however,
that any  such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to
the validity of anything previously done under that notification.

 
6.
 
Commissioner and other officers and employees.
 

      6. Commissioner  and other  officers and  employees. (1)  For the
purpose of  assisting it  in discharging its functions under this Act,
the Central  Government may  appoint an  officer, to  be known  as the
Commissioner for  the welfare  of the  victims of  the Bhopal gas leak
disaster, and  such other officers and employees to assist him as that
Government may deem fit.

      (2) The  Commissioner shall  discharge such  functions as  may be
assigned to him by the Scheme.

      (3) The  Commissioner and such of the officers subordinate to him
as may  be authorised by the Central Government by notification in the
Official Gazette  in this  behalf may,  for  the  discharge  of  their
functions under  the Scheme,  exercise all  or any of the powers which
the Central Government may exercise under section 5.

      (4) All  officers and  authorities of the Government shall act in
aid of the Commissioner.

    1*(5) The Commissioner and the officers subordinate to him author-
ised to discharge functions under the scheme shall be deemed to be  a
civil court for the purposes of section 195 and Chapter  XXVI  of the
code  of criminal procedure, 1973.

 
7.
 
Power to delegate.
 

      7. Power to delegate. The Central Government may, by notification
in the  Official Gazette,  delegate, subject  to such  conditions  and
limitations as may be specified in the notification, all or any of its
powers under  this Act (excepting the power under section 9 to frame a
Scheme) to  the Government  of Madhya  Pradesh or  an officer  of  the
Central Government  not below  the rank  of a  Joint Secretary to that
Government or an officer of the Government of Madhya Pradesh not below
the rank of a Secretary to that Government. 2*[ or the Commmissinor]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1.  Ins. by Act 24 of 1992, s. 2.
2.  Ins. by s. 3 ibid.


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8.
 
In computing; under the Limitation Act.
 

      8. (1) In computing; under the Limitation Act, 1963 (36 of 1963.)
or any other law for the time being in force, the period of limitation
for the  purpose of  instituting a  suit or  other proceeding  for the
enforcement of  a claim, any period after the date on which such claim
is registered  under, and  in accordance  with, the  provisions of the
Scheme shall be excluded.

      (2) Nothing  in sub-section (1) shall apply to any proceedings by
way of appeal.

 
9.
 
Power to frame a Scheme.
 

      9. Power to frame a Scheme. (1) The Central Government shall, for
carrying into  effect the  purposes of this Act, frame by notification
in the  Official Gazette  a  Scheme  as  soon  as  may  be  after  the
commencement of this Act.

      (2) In  particular and without prejudice to the generality of the
provisions of  sub-section (1), a Scheme may provide for all or any of
the following matters, namely:--

           (a) the  registration of the claims under the Scheme and all
      matters connected with such registration;

           (b)  the   processing  of  the  claims  for  securing  their
      enforcement and matters connected therewith;

           (c) the  maintenance of  records and registers in respect of
      the claims;

           (d)  the   creation  of  a  fund  for  meeting  expenses  in
      connection with  the administration  of the  Scheme  and  of  the
      provisions of this Act;

           (e) the  amounts which the Central Government may, after due
      appropriation made by Parliament by law in that behalf, credit to
      the fund  referred to  in clause  (d) and any other amounts which
      may be credited to such fund;

           (f)  the   utilisation,  by   way  of  disbursal  (including
      apportionment)  or   otherwise,  of   any  amounts   received  in
      satisfaction of the claims;

           (g) the  officer (being  a judicial  officer of  a rank  not
      lower than  that of a District Judge) who may make such disbursal
      or apportionment in the event of a dispute;

           (h) the  maintenance and  audit of  accounts with respect to
      the amounts referred to in clauses (e) and (f);

           (i) the functions of the Commissioner and other officers and
      employees appointed under section 6.

      (3) Every  Scheme framed  under sub-section (1) shall be laid, as
soon as  may be  after it  is framed, before each House of Parliament,
while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be
comprised in  one session  or in  two or more successive sessions, and
if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session
or the  successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any
modification in the Scheme or both Houses agree that the Scheme should
not be  framed, the  Scheme shall  thereafter have effect only in such
modified form  or be  of no  effect, as  the case may be; so, however,
that any  such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to
the validity of anything previously done under that Scheme.

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10.
 
Removal of doubts.
 

      10. Removal  of doubts.  For the  removal of doubts, it is hereby
declared that--

           (a) any  sums paid by the Government to a claimant otherwise
      than by  way of disbursal of the compensation or damages received
      as a  result of  the adjudication or settlement of his claim by a
      court or other authority, shall be deemed to be without prejudice
      to  the  adjudication  or  settlement  by  such  court  or  other
      authority of  his claim  to receive  compensation or  damages  in
      satisfaction of  his claim and shall not be taken into account by
      such court  or other  authority  in  determining  the  amount  of
      compensation  or   damages  to   which  he  may  be  entitled  in
      satisfaction of his claim;

           (b) in  disbursing under  the Scheme  the amount received by
      way of  compensation or  damages in  satisfaction of a claim as a
      result of  the adjudication or settlement of the claim by a court
      or other  authority, deduction  shall be made from such amount of
      the sums,  if any,  paid to the claimant by the Government before
      the disbursal of such amount.

 
11.
 
Overriding effect.
 

      11. Overriding  effect. The  provisions of  this Act  and of  any
Scheme framed  thereunder shall  have effect  notwithstanding anything
inconsistent therewith  contained in any enactment other than this Act
or any  instrument having effect by virtue of any enactment other than
this Act.

 
12.
 
Repeal and saving.
 

      12.  Repeal   and  saving.  (1)  The  Bhopal  Gas  Leak  Disaster
(Processing of  Claims)  Ordinance,  1985  (1  of  1985),   is  hereby
repealed.

      (2) Notwithstanding  such repeal,  anything done  or  any  action
taken under  the said  Ordinance shall  be deemed to have been done or
taken under the corresponding provisions of this Act.

URL: http://indiacode.nic.in/fullact1.asp?tfnm=198521