Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): District and Sessions Court, Bhopal, in its order on Friday, asked Dow Chemical to make submission over court jurisdiction in next hearing on November 25, 2023. The court also reserved the order after hearing on Tuesday.
After execution of trial court summon in connection with Bhopal gas tragedy, Dow Chemical, raised the issue of trial court jurisdiction stating that the company is based in the US, so the Bhopal court does not have any jurisdiction to prosecute it.
Dow Chemical had also said that it responded to only court’s summon for “short purpose” but the Bhopal court does not have jurisdiction to prosecute a US-based company, so the company will submit details on jurisdiction next hearing. So, the trial court has asked Dow Chemical Company to submit whatever it wants, in the next hearing.
However, the High Court principal bench of Jabalpur, in 2004, had rejected the similar petition of Dow Chemical Company over jurisdiction. But this time, Dow Chemical took plea that the petition of Dow Chemical, Singapore, was rejected but now it is a US based Dow chemical company.
Dow Chemical’s advocate Sandeep Gupta said, “Bhopal court has asked Dow to submit whatever it wants on jurisdiction issue, in the next hearing on November 25, 2023. Today, the court did not make any comment on the jurisdiction issue.”
