All the directions of the Supreme Court with regard to the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) have been complied with, additional solicitor general P Wilson told the Madras High Court on Wednesday.
When a writ petition from advocate G Sundararajan, also trustee of Poovulagin Nanbargal, a registered public trust, came up before the second bench comprising Justices R Banumathi and T S Sivagnanam on Wednesday, Wilson told the judges that the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) had granted clearance for ‘first approach to criticality’ of Unit-1 on July 11 and the power plant had thus attained criticality for production of electricity. The allegation of the petitioner that the directions had not been complied with was not true, he said and added that the petition was not maintainable.
The bench placed the petition before the first bench, headed by Acting Chief Justice R K Agrawal, before which the matter was pending. The matter will be taken up on July 23.
In his petition, Sundararajan submitted that while disposing of a special leave petition filed by him, the SC on May 6, among other things, had directed the government to withdraw all criminal cases filed against the agitators so that peace and normalcy could be restored at Koodankulam and nearby places and steps should be taken to educate people on the necessity of the plant, which was in the larger interest of the nation, particularly the State.
Petitioner contended that the AERB, without verifying with the competent authorities about the implementation of all the conditions of the SC, had granted clearance for the first approach to criticality of unit-1.