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The Supreme Court Wednesday dismissed the interim plea of mining major Vedanta Ltd seeking permission to inspect its Sterlite copper unit at <keyword id="6354388" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tuticorin">Tuticorin</keyword> in Tamil Nadu, which is closed since May 2018 over pollution concerns, and to operate it for four weeks to assess the pollution level. Vedanta had sought handing over of the plant for three months saying it requires two months to start the unit and the company should be allowed to run it for four weeks to ascertain whether its polluting or not. The interim plea by Vedanta was opposed by Tamil Nadu government which claimed before a bench headed by Justice R F Nariman that the plant had been "polluting consistently". Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for the mining major, told the apex court that it is a "case of <keyword id="10367363" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mala-fide-closure">mala fide closure</keyword> of the plant" and Vedanta is producing 36 per cent of copper demand of the country. "Allow us to run (the plant) for four weeks and it can be proved whether we are polluting beyond the point," Singhvi told the bench, also comprising Justices Navin Sinha and K M Joseph. Senior advocate <keyword id="254329" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Colin-Gonsalves">Colin Gonsalves</keyword>, appearing for some villagers who are residing nearby the plant, claimed that the unit should not be allowed to operate as water is getting contaminated there and people are suffering from diseases like cancer. The bench, while holding that interim plea of Vedanta cannot be allowed, said that final hearing in the matter can be heard after physical hearing starts in the apex court. In August, Vedanta had moved the apex court challenging the Madras High Court order refusing to allow reopening of the Tuticorin plant. The high court had upheld the orders of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) directing closure of the unit in May 2018. Vedanta had approached the high court in February 2019, seeking to reopen Sterlite plant which was closed following a May 23, 2018 order issued by the TNPCB in the backdrop of violent protests against the unit which left 13 people dead in police firing on May 21 and 22, 2018. It had filed the petition in the high court as suggested by the Supreme Court, which had on February 18 last year set aside <keyword id="2462566" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="The-National-Green-Tribunal">the National Green Tribunal</keyword> order that allowed opening of Sterlite plant. During the hearing conducted on Wednesday through video-conferencing, Singhvi told the bench that the plant can be allowed to be run on an experimental basis as its closure for over two year is a "huge national wastage". "In 1994, I (Vedanta) got the permission and I started in 1997 and gave employment to around 4,000 people," Singhvi said, adding, "It appears that the respondent (Tamil Nadu) doesn't want to allow its operation". He said 30 recommendations have been made by the central and state pollution control boards. "Closure was ordered on a PIL (public interest litigation). The pollution control boards made 30 recommendations and 29 were complied with and the District Collector had said that emission was within the emissions norms," he said, adding that steps were taken as "knee jerk reactions due to some agitation". Senior advocate C S Vaidayanathan, appearing for Tamil Nadu government, said that the plant has been "polluting consistently and it has only worsened after it was allowed to run" by the apex court earlier "Till such time these findings of high court on pollution are set aside, it cannot be allowed to run," he said. Senior advocate K V Vishwanathan, who also appeared for the state authorities, said Vedanta's plea seeking re-opening of the plant has been rejected eight times by the court. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/burger-king-grey-market-premium-and-heres-what-brokerages-say-about-the-ipo-opening-tomorrow/articleshow/79508730.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Burger King India IPO opens today — brokerages recommend ‘subscribe’ on attractive valuations</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/delhi-chalo-no-breakthrough-in-talks-government-seeks-farmers-objections-suggestions-on-farm-laws/articleshow/79521894.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Delhi Chalo: No breakthrough in talks, government seeks farmers' objections, suggestions on farm laws</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/china-just-landed-its-change-5-spacecraft-on-the-moon-the-mission-could-bring-moon-rocks-to-earth-for-the-first-time-in-40-plus-years-/articleshow/79520221.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">China just landed its Chang'e-5 spacecraft on the moon. The mission could bring moon rocks to Earth for the first time in 40-plus years.</a>

SC rejects Vedanta's interim plea to inspect, operate closed Sterlite copper unit at Tuticorin

New Delhi, A petition has been filed in the <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="keywords">Supreme Court</keyword> seeking contempt action against the <keyword id="19934368" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="state-bank-of-india" source="keywords">State Bank of India</keyword> (SBI) alleging it "wilfully and deliberately" disobeyed the apex court's direction to submit details of contributions made to political parties through electoral bonds to the Election Commission by March 6. The plea, filed by two NGOs, claimed SBI's application seeking extension of time till June 30 to disclose the details of electoral bonds encashed by political parties has been deliberately filed at the last moment to ensure that details of donor and the amount of donations are not disclosed to the public before the upcoming <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> elections. A bench headed by Chief Justice <keyword id="19936357" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="d-y-chandrachud" source="keywords">D Y Chandrachud</keyword> on Thursday took note of the submissions by advocate <keyword id="20027334" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prashant-bhushan" source="keywords">Prashant Bhushan</keyword>, who appeared on behalf of NGOs Association for Democratic Reforms and Common Cause, that he wanted initiation of contempt proceedings against the SBI. Bhushan said the SBI's application is likely to be listed on March 11 and the contempt application should also be heard together with it. "Please send an e-mail. I will pass the order," the CJI said. The SBI moved the top court on March 4 seeking extension of time till June 30 to disclose the details of the electoral bonds that were encashed. In a landmark verdict on February 15, a five-judge constitution bench of the apex court had scrapped the Centre's electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding, calling it "unconstitutional" and ordering disclosure by the Election Commission of the donors, the amount donated by them and the recipients by March 13. Ordering closure of the scheme forthwith, the top court had directed the SBI, the authorised financial institution under the scheme, to submit by March 6 the details of the electoral bonds purchased since April 12, 2019 till date to Election Commission (EC), which will publish the information on its official website by March 13. In the contempt plea, the NGOs have said that two days before the expiry of the stated deadline, the SBI has filed an application seeking time till June 30 to comply with the directions. "It is submitted that the said application is mala fide and demonstrates a wilful and deliberate disobedience &amp; defiance of the judgement passed by the constitution bench of this court. It is further a clear attempt to undermine the authority of this court," it said. "The petitioner herein is filing the instant petition seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against State Bank of India for wilfully and deliberately disobeying the order dated February 15 passed by this court... wherein this court directed SBI to submit details of contribution made to the political parties through electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India by March 6," it said. It said the affidavit supporting the SBI's application has neither been sworn by the chairman or the managing director of the bank. It said SBI has the record of the unique number allotted to each electoral bond and the know your customer (KYC) details of its purchaser. "The requirement of the KYC is mentioned in section 4 of the EB scheme itself, therefore, the SBI is well aware of the identity of purchasers of each electoral bond," the plea said. It said as per clause 7 of the electoral bond scheme, information furnished by the buyer can be disclosed when demanded by a competent court. "As per clause 12 (4) of the scheme, electoral bonds have to be encashed within fifteen days failing which the amount of bonds not encashed are to be deposited by the bank to the PM relief Fund. Thus, it is inconceivable that SBI does not have the recorded information readily available within its data base," it said. The plea said electoral bonds are "completely traceable" which is evident from the fact that SBI maintains a secret number-based record of donors who buy bonds, and the political parties they donate to. It said as per information received through RTI, in 30 phases of electoral bonds sale, only 19 out of 29 SBI authorised branches sold electoral bonds and 14 SBI branches encashed them. "The data available as on January 2024 further shows that only 25 political parties had opened their account and are eligible for encashing electoral bonds. Therefore, compiling of this information should not be difficult as the system is already in place," it said. "It is mandatory that SBI furnishes all information relating to electoral bonds within stipulated time frame given by this court as voters will not be able to exercise their informed opinion properly during Lok Sabha 2024 if complete information about EBs is not shared with them," it said. The plea said any form of anonymity in the finances of political parties goes against the essence of participatory democracy and people's right to know enshrined under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. It said availability of information about electoral bonds will give voters a chance to truly inspect, express and decide their choices. "This defiant approach of the SBI towards citizen's 'right to know' about huge sums of money received by parties through electoral bonds and corporates in a non-transparent and unaccountable manner is reprehensible and betrays its clear motive to stifle citizen's voice and right to audit actions of the political class, and therefore it should be held as serious breach of contempt by this court," it alleged.

Electoral bonds: Plea seeks contempt action against SBI for disobeying SC's order

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SC rejects Vedanta's interim plea to inspect, operate closed Sterlite copper unit at Tuticorin

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Electoral bonds: Plea seeks contempt action against SBI for disobeying SC's order

PTI

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