Vedanta moves SC against Madras HC order on Sterlite copper plant

Mining company Vedanta on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court, challenging the Madras High Court order that rejected its plea to allow reopening of the Sterlite copper unit in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin, closed since May 2018 due to pollution issues.

The Tamil Nadu government has already filed a caveat in the matter in the apex court seeking to be heard, before the court passes any order on the issue.

The Madras High Court, on August 18, had declined the plea of the mining company, which urged the court to allow it to reopen the copper plant.

The high court had upheld the May 2018 order of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) directing the closure of the plant, accepting its argument that the company's operations was behind the pollution in the area.


It had noted that protecting the environment is the primary concern and the economic considerations have no role to play in these matters.

The mining company had moved the high court in February last year, seeking its permission to reopen the Sterlite plant.

According to the orders issued by the TNPCB, the plant was closed in May 2018, following protests, which turned violent, and left 13 people dead in police firing.


The high court had also declined to order status quo until Vedanta went on appeal to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had allowed the mining company to move the high court.