NEW DELHI: In a setback for Vedanta, the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the company’s interim plea to allow the reopening of its Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu.
The bench turned down Vedanta's request to reopen the plant on a trial basis for three months and slated the final hearing to January next year. Vedanta had urged the court to allow the reopening of the Sterlite plant on a trial basis to allow for maintenance.
Pointing to the fact that the plant at the time of its operation met 36 per cent of India's need for copper, Vedanta submitted that India had become a net importer of copper after the plant was closed in 2018.
Appearing for Vedanta, senior lawyer AM Singhvi argued that the Sterlite plant directly employed 4,000 people, while its downstream benefits flowed to over 2 lakh people.
Vedanta claimed that the Madras High Court order closing the plant wasn't based on principles of natural justice, and their industrial activity didn't lead to pollution beyond permissible limits.
The plant was closed in 2018 after the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) found violations of environmental norms. The State pollution control board had taken note of objections and protests against the plant by local villagers, who claimed that it was polluting land, air, and water.
After the protests ended in police opening fire on agitators, the Tamil Nadu government ordered the closure of the plant. While the NGT allowed the plant to reopen later, the top court set aside the order due to lack of jurisdiction of the tribunal and sent the case to the Madras High Court.