HC adjourns Sterlite’s plea against TN’s decision to cancel land order

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday adjourned the Vedanta’s petition challenging the order of SIPCOT canceling the allotment of 342 acres of land to the company. The land was allotted by the SIPCOT for the purpose of establishing the phase-II copper smelter unit in Thoothukkudi.

While heading the first bench along with Justice N Mala, Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari adjourned the matter by four weeks.

The bench observed that since the company’s petition is already pending with the SC in this regard, the High Court has to wait and consider the outcome in the Apex Court to deal with this plea.

After the anti-Sterlite protests that ended in police firing and cost 13 lives in May 2018, the state ordered the closure of the Sterlite copper smelter unit in Thoothukkudi. Subsequently, it has also canceled the land allotted to the firm by Sipcot for phase – II works. Therefore, the company approached the HC for quashing the order of Sipcot.