SC dismisses Vedanta's plea for access to copper smelting plant

Supreme Court dismisses Vedanta's plea seeking access to carry out maintenance work in Thoothukudi plant. The copper smelting plant was shut down permanently on May 28, 2018.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea by Vedanta seeking access to its Thoothukudi-located Sterlite Copper Smelting plant in Tamil Nadu to carry out maintenance work.

Describing the plea as frivolous, a bench of Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice Vineet Saran said that they were not here to control the High Courts.

On February 18, the top court had rejected Vedanta's plea seeking direction to the Tamil Nadu government to allow the re-opening of the Copper smelting plant as it (apex court) set aside the NGT order for the re-opening of the plant.

The top court's February 18 verdict came on a Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board's plea against the December 15, 2018 National Green Tribunal (NGT) order directing it to give its consent for the re-opening of the plant.

However, the grant of consent by the state pollution control board was subject to the satisfaction of certain conditionalities by Vedanta.

While setting aside the December 15 NGT order, the top court had asked the Vedanta to approach the Madras High Court against State Pollution Control Board order shutting down the plant.

The copper smelting plant was shut down permanently on May 28, 2018 in the wake of violent incidents that claimed many lives.