SC asks AP High Court to decide mining matters of Reddy bros

The SC declined to lift its interim ban on mining and transportation of iron ore by Obulapuram Mining Company,owned by Karnataka's Reddy brothers.

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to lift its interim ban on mining and transportation of iron ore by Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC),owned by Karnataka’s Reddy brothers,in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh and asked the High Court to decide the case within a month.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan saidthe Andhra Pradesh High Court,which had given conditional order for carrying on mining activity by OMC,would be in the best position to decide the vexed issues of boundary dispute involved in the matter.

The apex court,which had stayed the high court decision,passed the order after both OMC and Andhra Pradesh government consented to its suggestion.

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Earlier,senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi,appearing for OMC,alleged the apex-court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) placed its report for stopping mining activity in the area by the without any authority.

He said there were orders by the apex court to make an inquiry of the area and submit the report which became the basis for the Andhra Pradesh government to come out with an order to stop the mining and transportation of minerals by the OMC.

The Bench accepted there were no such orders and allowed the contesting parties to raise objections to the CEC report before the High Court.

It also allowed the CEC to make its case before the High Court.

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