MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Monday issued notice to the state government on a PIL filed seeking to quash a GO passed in January 2026, relaxing the punishment and penalty to be imposed on stone quarry operators for excess or illegal quarry activities in TN.
Abdul Kalam Science Farmers People Security Association, represented by its president G Abel Moorthy, alleged in the petition that earlier, a penalty of `5 lakh per hectare or five years imprisonment or both was imposed on illegal quarry operators.
But, following a representation given by the stone quarry, crusher, and lorry owners association in 2023, the natural resources department has passed the above GO as a one-time regularisation scheme, based on a report submitted by a committee headed by retired IAS officer K Allaudin in May 2024, he added.
Moorthy claimed that as per the GO, dated January 22, 2026, a minimal fine of Rs 25 per tonne is to be collected from illegal quarry operators by calculating the weighted average rate of seigniorage fee. The offenders can pay 20% of the fine amount first, and the rest can be paid in six equal installments (12 in case of a penalty above Rs 10 crore) once every two months, the GO added.
Stating that the GO amounts to pampering and encouraging violators and is contrary to Section 21 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, which criminalises illegal mining, Moorthy requested the court to quash the GO. A bench of justices N Sathish Kumar and M Jothiraman issued notice to the authorities concerned and adjourned the case to June 24.
