The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea by the Tamil Nadu government seeking a review of its September 10 order by which it had asked the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to decide on the merits and the maintainability of the issue raised by the State on Vedanta’s petition challenging closure of its Sterlite plant at Tuticorin.
A bench of Justices RF Nariman and Indu Malhotra dismissed the review plea of the State government on November 20. However, the order was uploaded on the apex court website on Monday.
“Having carefully gone through the review petition, the order under challenge and the papers annexed therewith, we are satisfied that there is no error apparent on the face of the record, warranting reconsideration of the order impugned. The review petition is, accordingly, dismissed,” the bench said.
On September 10, the apex court had asked the NGT to decide on the merits and maintainability of the issue raised by the Tamil Nadu government on Vedanta’s plea challenging the closure of its Sterlite plant at Tuticorin. The court had said the NGT should consider these issues after a three-member committee, constituted by the green panel to look into environmental compliance and other issues of Sterlite plant, submits its report.
On August 31, the green panel had appointed former Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Tarun Agrawal as the head of a three-member committee to decide on Vedanta’s plea.
The apex court had on August 17, refused to entertain Tamil Nadu government’s plea against the NGT order 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.
The green tribunal had on August 9 allowed Vedanta to enter its administrative unit inside its Sterlite copper plant. and “permanently” close the mining group’s copper plant following violent protests over pollution concerns.