Chennai: Vedanta Ltd has reportedly decided to approach Supreme Court against Madras High Court’s today order dismissing a petition filed by the business group seeking to re-open its Copper Smelter Plant at Tuticorin, where 13 anti-Sterlite protestors were killed in a police firing on 22 May, 2018.
Sources said a plea would be filed in the Supreme Court by Vedanta in the coming days.
Passing orders on the petition filed by Vedanta Group, a Division Bench comprising Justices T S Sivagnanam and V Bhavani Subbarayan upheld the Tamilnadu government Order closing down the plant and sealing it.
The Court also rejected Vedanta’s plea to suspend the operation of the order till it files an appeal in the Supreme Court.
The Vedanta Group had on 27 February last year moved the High Court seeking a direction to the state government to allow re-opening of the Sterlite Copper Smelter plant at Tuticorin.
This followed the 18 February Supreme Court order, asking the company to approach the Madras High Court, while passing orders on the Tamil Nadu government’s plea against the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order giving the nod to re-open the plant.
The Apex Court had on 18 February, 2019 set aside NGT order to reopen the Sterlite plant, while allowing an appeal filed by the State government against the 15 December, 2018 NGT order directing the TNPCB to pass fresh orders of Renewal of Consent (RoC) and issue authorisation to Vedanta Limited to handle hazardous substances.
Passing orders the Apex Court Bench led by Justice Rohinton Nariman concluded that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain the appeal by Vedanta, against the closure of the plant.