NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain TN government’s plea against the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order of allowing mining major Vedanta access to the administrative unit inside its closed Sterlite copper plant at Tuticorin and asked the NGT to finally decide the matter.
A bench of Justices RF Nariman and Indu Malhotra said, “We may clarify that NGT may continue to hear the matter on merits and finally decide the matter on maintainability also. It is open for the state to argue on maintainability after which the tribunal will give its findings.”
Early this month, the tribunal had allowed Vedanta to enter its administrative unit inside its Sterlite copper plant, observing that no environmental damage would be caused by allowing access to the administrative section. The state government had challenged the NGT’s order in the apex court.During the hearing today, senior advocate C A Sundaram, appearing for Vedanta, said that the state had suppressed facts before the apex court and that it had passed a spate of orders against the company without issuing it show cause notices. The counsel appearing for TN raised the issue of maintainability of plea filed by Vedanta before the NGT.
In May, the TN government had ordered the state pollution control board to permanently close the mining group’s copper plant following violent protests over pollution concerns.Sterlite’s factory made headlines in March 2013 when a gas leak led to the death of one person and injuries to several others, after which then CM Jayalalithaa ordered its closure.
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