Supreme Court dismisses Vedanta plea on copper plant closure in Thoothukudi

“They are voiceless people. They all cannot come here. We cannot be oblivious to the wider concerns of the community,” CJI Chandrachud had said. “We may not be able to direct that you start operating today, but we can ensure that terms are put to you by an expert panel so that a red category industry can start on deposit of a certain amount and on satisfying environmental safeguards.”

“… we have come to the conclusion that the Special Leave Petition (SLP) by the industrial unit shall not warrant interference under Article 136 of the Constitution. For the above reasons, the SLP shall stands dismissed,” the bench, also comprising justices Pardiwala and Misra, said.

The Madras High Court had in August 2020 rejected Vedanta’s plea to allow the reopening of its Sterlite Copper unit.