Supreme Court Response On Illegal Mining Leases Sought

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to file a reply on a plea seeking the cancellation of 358 iron ore mining leases which were allocated, or their duration extended, without any fresh evaluation or by adopting the due auction process. A bench of Justices S.A. Bobde and B.R. Gavai asked the government to file its response within four weeks. Advocate Mahohar Lal Sharma, the petitioner, has also sought quashing of Section 8A of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. The PIL said that Section 8A of the MMDR Act, 1957, which provides for grant of a mining lease for minerals other than coal, lignite and atomic minerals, was “illegal, arbitary and unconstitutional”. Section 8A, inserted by the MMDR amendment Act, “is a clear violation of Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution... (and) has created serious financial and other injuries to the general public at large...”, the PIL said. (IANS)

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