Tamil Nadu: Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Vedanta's Plea On Tuticorin Sterlite Copper Unit, Closed After Protests In 2018

The Supreme Court has agreed to consider hearing the plea from the Vedanta group regarding the closure of its Sterlite copper unit in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, as reported by Economic Times.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra acknowledged the submissions of senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing the Vedanta group firm, emphasising the need for a hearing.

The matter is scheduled for 22 January, as per the senior lawyer, who urged the bench to expedite the proceedings.

The Chief Justice stated that the counsel for the parties will be informed about the hearing schedule after confirming whether any constitution bench matters are listed for the day.

Previously, the Supreme Court had directed the registrar to allocate "two dedicated dates" for hearing the Vedanta group's plea.

In May of the previous year, the court had instructed the Tamil Nadu government to make appropriate decisions in line with its 10 April directive, allowing the Vedanta group to maintain its Sterlite copper unit under the supervision of a local-level monitoring committee.

The court had permitted the evacuation of remaining gypsum at the plant and provided the required manpower.

However, some actions recommended by the district collector were not undertaken, leading the court to order the state government to re-evaluate further directions.

The plea was initially listed for final disposal on 22 and 23 August of the previous year.

The Sterlite copper unit closure followed violent protests in 2018, where at least 13 people were killed, and the Tamil Nadu government subsequently ordered the plant's permanent closure due to pollution concerns on 28 May 2018.