Coal block allocation not fair, transparent, says the Supreme Court verdict
Supreme Court on Monday cancelled all coal bloacks allocated since 1993
observing that the allocation done by screening committee was "not fair
and transparent".
While pronouncing its verdict on the issue relating to the cancellation
of coal allocation blocks and to de-allocate the blocks which did not
have environmental clearance, the apex court noted that no objective
criteria was followed and guidelines were breached in allocations.
The court also said all allocations were done in illegal manner and it suffered from vice of arbitrariness.
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief justice of India R.M. Lodha while
reserving the verdict in January this year had said that huge
investments by companies could not be a ground for not cancelling the
licence. When the Centre submitted that 40 coal blocks were
de-allocated, the court had suggested de-allocation of 29 blocks
allotted to private companies as well.
The CBI had filed 16 FIRs against AMR Iron and Steel, JLD Yavatmal
Energy, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog, JAS Infrastructure Capital Pvt Ltd,
Vikash Metals, Grace Industries, Gagan Sponge, Jindal Steel and Power,
Rathi Steel and Power Ltd, Jharkhand Ispat, Green Infrastructure, Kamal
Sponge, Pushp Steel, Hindalco, BLA Industries, Castron Technologies and
Castron Mining. All these FIRs are rooted in three preliminary enquiries
related to coal block allocation–between 2006 and 2009, 1993 and 2004,
and projects given under the Government dispensation scheme.
The Hindu
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