Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court's order refusing to allow reopening of its Sterlite Copper plant at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. On August 18, the Madras High Court had rejected the plea of the mining major seeking to reopen the plant. Vedanta moved the apex court against Madras High Court's order on Wednesday.
The plant has been closed since May 2018 over pollution related concerns. The Tamil Nadu government has already filed a caveat in the top court seeking to be heard in the matter, before any order is passed.
The Madras High Court verdict was pronounced by a division bench of Justices T S Sivagnanam and V Bhavani Subbaroyan on a petition filed by Vedanta challenging the Tamil Nadu government's decision. The High Court had upheld the order of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), directing closure of the unit.
On May 28, 2018 that Vedanta had moved the court challenging the closure order by the state government against its Sterlite Copper plant. The state government had ordered the closure of the plant on May 28, 2018, after 13 people were killed during a protest against Sterlite Copper.
The residents and environmentalists had thereafter raised a demand to close down the plant citing air and water pollution. However, Vedanta had then denied the accusations of pollution. In December 2019, an NGO in Chennai had released a statement stating that the air quality in the region has improved after the closure of the plant.
Also read: Tamil Nadu govt moves Supreme Court to reopen Sterlite Copper plant
Also read: Madras High Court dismisses plea to reopen Vedanta's Thoothukudi Sterlite Copper plant