PANJIM: The Supreme Court will hear on Friday the two writ petitions, filed by Goa Foundation and activist Sudip Tamankar, challenging the renewal of 88 iron ore mining leases in Goa.
The Apex Court will also hear the two Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) filed by Goa Foundation and one Rama Velip, challenging the order of the High Court of Bombay at Goa, that directed the State government to renew some mining leases. The judgment was issued on August 13, 2014.
When the matter came up for hearing on October 9, it was adjourned after Justice Uday Lalit recused himself from hearing the matter as he holds shares of Sesa-Vedanta Resources.
The Court, in an omnibus order passed on October 5, sent some 300 matters on environment issues to the National Green Tribunal, Delhi for hearing through the Delhi bench and other NGT benches, thus reducing its own arrears. However, it retained the Goa, Karnataka and Odisha mining matters.
The petitioner has prayed for a CBI inquiry into the grant of leases, which resulted in the loss of Rs 80,000 crore to the State exchequer. The petitioner has also sought an interim stay on the operation of mining leases based on the Consent to Operate granted by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).
GF whose public interest litigation (PIL) before the Apex Court in 2012 led to a ban on mining activities, has now prayed for quashing of the second renewal order issued by the State under Section 8(3) of the Mines and Minerals Development Regulation (MMDR) Act 1957 and also MoEF order of lifting the EC abeyance in case of 72 mining leases.
