Dr AM Singhvi for Vedanta- wastage of national resource can be stopped by allowing short 3 month run of the plant. I'm not arguing on merits
There is a preconceived decision to not allow the plant to run
Justice Nariman- you've had this plea for short runs for 2 years.
@DrAMSinghvi- the short run would allow us to identify any issues still remaining. The plant started in 1997. Provides direct employment to 4000 people, indirect employment to about 20,000.
Singhvi: Trickle down dependants are more than 2 lakh. Supplying 36% of the country's copper needs. Now India is becoming dependant on Copper imports.
NEERI had made environment impact report and gave 30 recommendations. Compliance of 29 out of 30
SC-- we don't have any such information. Where are you reading from?
Singhvi: I'm reading from the brief submissions filed by the petitioner Vedanta. It was circulated to all parties
Singhvi- closure of the the Sterlite plant has made India a net importer.
Pollution control board had made 30 recommendations. 2012 report shows compliance of 29 out of 30 recommendations.
Singhvi: Allegations of asphyxiation etc- district collector had given certificate thta emission was within limits and no one had asked for help.
In 2013 closure order. NGT allowed us to run after hearing plea against closure order.
Singhvi: 2016-- consent to operate given by pollution board. Also consent to expand the project and establish a new smelter was also given in November 2016
2018- after comprehensive inspection another approval for expansion given.
Singhvi: Additional scrutiny by PCB allows renewal of consent order
2018- street protests start. After protests start the pCb refuses my request for consent to operate.
Ground water analysis found nothing wrong.
Singhvi: Protests turned violent in May 2018- fresh order passed by PCB denying consent to operate and shutting down power supply.
None of these orders followed principle of natural Justice. We approached SC, which allows us to approach the High court.
Singhvi: HC went into hundreds of the intervention applications filed, instead of deciding on the five issues we had raised, it goes into various issued extending upto 2013.
The orders against us are malafide and motivated.
Singhvi: The order says we have done something wrong even though their own report said everything is Kosher. Four of the orders passed after the violence by protesters
SC: we are only on the narrow issue of whether you should be allowed to enter the premises and inspect the area.
@DrAMSinghvi : what's the public interest I am harming if I go and inspect? It takes 2 months to make the plant operational because it's been closed for a while.
Singhvi: Any issues are best judged by allowing the plant to run.
To reassure the court that I cannot harm public interest.
Tamil Nadu pollution control board tells SC that Vedanta is trying to mislead court. Industry has been polluting.
Order passed by TN govt was for Permanant closure of the Sterlite plant.
Conditions have worsened after court permitted them to start partial operations.
Tamil Nadu Govt: The reports of the PCB clearly show the plant has been consistently polluting. At this stage interim arrangement to reopen the plant cannot be given particularly since the HC had upheld the PCB order for closing the plant.
Govt: the order passed by the HC was to close down the plant. There was no permission given to run the plant.
#SupremeCourt denies interim relief to Vedanta's main petition, refuses immediate reopening of Sterlite plant. Court to hear Vedanta's plea to reopen Sterlite plant in detail in January #Vedanta
[BREAKING] Supreme Court declines interim relief to Vedanta, refuses immediate reopening of Sterlite Plant at Thoothukudi
The Kerala High Court will shortly hear a bail application moved by former Kerala bureaucrat M. Sivasankar in connection to his alleged role and arrest in the #keralagoldsmugglingcase
He moved the Kerala High Court on November 20 seeking regular bail.
He had earlier moved the Kerala High Court seeking pre-arrest bail apprehending arrest in investigations conducted by the Customs Department and the ED. @dir_ed barandbench.com/news/litigatio…
Within an hour of the Kerala High Court dismissing his pre-arrest bail plea, he was arrested by the ED and taken into custody.
His subsequent bail plea before an Ernakulam PMLA Court was junked.
CJI: not possible for us to accept a compensation in merely arithmetical terms especially when there is no statement forthcoming from Uttar Pradesh or PWD as to nature of trees that is to say they are classified as shrubs or large trees
CJI: Moreover there is no information available regarding age of the trees since its obvious that there cannot be compensatory reforestation if 100 year old tree is cut down. Ms Bhati, ASG for UP did not make a statement as to which forest dept intends to evaluate trees in Q
#MadrasHighCourt takes up for final hearing petitions challenging privilege committee proceedings issued against MK Stalin and other DMK MLAs for bringing gutka packets to Legislative Assembly in 2017. In Sept, the Court had stayed the proceedings.
The matter is before Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana.
Senior Advocate Shanmugasundaram is making arguments for @mkstalin
Shanmugasundaram recounts that privilege committee proceedings were initiated against 19 persons citing:
- display of prohibited gutkha without permission of Speaker
- the disturbance caused to assembly proceedings,
- setting a bad precedent, and
- causing disorder, disrepute
Supreme Court bench led by Justice AM Khanwilkar to resume hearing a petition seeking guidelines for courts to not impose bail conditions objectifyig women especially through bail orders in sexual violence cases.
Attorney General was issued notice in the case. AG KK Venugopal has informed #SupremeCourt that gender sensitisation training for judges and more women judges in judiciary could be a solution.
Supreme Court bench headed by Justice NV Ramana hears a plea against the publication of the #Hathras victim photograph in the media. Plea also questions the delay in trial of sexual violence cases #SupremeCourt
Justice Ramana: These issues have nothing to do with law. People want to do such things. Right to freedom of expression is there. There is enough law for this. It is unfortunate that such incidents happen
SC: We can't legislate law after law. Its not for the wisdom of the court to legislate here. Make representation to the govt