Bhopal, June 6
After a trial lasting more than two decades, the judgement on Bhopal Gas tragedy, the world's worst industrial disaster which killed and maimed thousands of people, would be pronounced tomorrow.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Mohan P Tiwari will pronounce the judgement after a 23-year-long trial in the toxic leak case from the now defunct Union Carbide factory on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984.

During the trial, a total of 178 prosecution witnesses were examined and 3008 documents were produced while eight defence witnesses deposed in the court.

Out of the nine accused tried for the offences, R B Roy Choudhary, the then former Assistant Works Manager Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL), Mumbai, died during the trial.

The remaining eight accused in the case are Keshub Mahendra, the then UCIL chairman, Vijay Gokhle, the then managing director, Kishore Kamdar, the then vice president, J Mukund, the then works manager, S P Choudhary, the then Production Manager, K V Shetty, the then plant superintendent, S I Quershi, the then production assistant of UCIL and UCIL Calcutta.

Three accused — the then chairman of Union Carbide Corporation of USA Warren Anderson, besides Union Carbide Corporation, USA and Union Carbide Eastern, Hong Kong — escaped the trial.

FIR in the tragedy was filed on December 3, 1984 and the case was transferred to CBI on December 6, 1984. The CBI filed the charge sheet after investigation on December 1, 1987.

Subsequently, the CJM framed charges against the accused. After the accused moved the apex court, it amended the charges on September 13, 1996.