PANAJI
The Supreme Court of India is expected to take up for hearing on Thursday the dual matters of two mining companies -- Vedanta and Geetabala M Naik Parulekar -- challenging the Goa, Daman and Diu Mining Concessions (Abolition and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, 1987.
Meanwhile, a Special leave petition filed by the State government is also pending before the Supreme Court in which a review of the Apex Court's 2018 judgement quashing all the 88 mining leases is sought.
The mining sector in Goa, which has been at a standstill for nearly three years since the quashing of second renewal of 88 operative mining leases by the Apex Court, are banking on the outcome of these pleas to resume operations.
One of the issues raised by the mining companies in the petitions is a challenge to the operation of the law abolition the mining concessions and their declaration as mining leases with retrospective effect from 1961, instead of the date when it was enacted in 1987.
If the plea is upheld, the judgement could change drastically the issues on the basis of which the Supreme Court declared the second renewal of the 88 leases illegal in its 2018 judgement and validate the leases until 2037.
