Bhubaneswar/New Delhi, April 2: The Supreme Court Friday directed the Odisha government to file a fresh petition making all affected and interested sides as parties in the application in the Niyamgiri Hills mining case.
The state government had moved the Supreme Court seeking review of the latter’s 2013 decision upholding the resolution passed by 12 gram sabhas not to allow mining of bauxite in the hills.
Earlier on March 4 this year, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court had recommended the Chief Justice to constitute a three-judge bench to conduct hearing on Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC)’s interlocutory application seeking reconvening of gram sabhas for bauxite mining in the Niyamgiri hills.
The State government through OMC on February 25 had moved the apex court wanting reconvening of gram sabhas so as to take another look into whether bauxite mining in the Niyamgiri hills will be tantamount to an infringement of the religious, community and individual rights of local forest-dwellers.
