The Supreme Court has on Thursday reserved its order on petitions seeking a stay on commissioning of the Koodankulam nuclear power plant (KKNPP) in Tamil Nadu till all the safety measures are put in place.
A bench, comprising Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra, which heard arguments, concluded hearing on Thursday.
Petitions filed by G Sundarrajan and others questioned the safety and security of the people and the impact on environment.
The Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CIPL) in its petition sought an appropriate writ declaring that the plant would be governed by the law of the land as laid down by the apex court, i.e., the constitutional principles of absolute liability and polluter pays principle.
The petitioners challenged the project on the ground that safety measures are not in place. They also raised questions over the disposal of nuclear waste.
On September 13, the apex court while declining to stay the loading of the fuel into the plant, agreed to examine the risk associated with the project saying safety of the people living in its vicinity was of paramount concern.
The Centre, TN government and Nuclear Power Corporation of India, had refuted the allegations.
Attorney General G E Vahanvati in October told the Bench that safety was the concern of the government.
The TN counsels appeared before the Bench over a period of time and apprised the Bench on different compliance and safety aspects. They told the Bench that the plant was safe and could withstand any kind of natural disaster and terrorist attack.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for the petitioners, on one occasion told the Bench that even the 17 safety steps that were recommended might not be sufficient to prevent a nuclear catastrophe at the KKNPP.