SC lifts ban on 90 Karnataka mines,cancels 49 leases

However,the bench cancelled 49 leases of category ‘C’ mines,where maximum illegalities were reported,for “playing havoc with the national economy” and casting an “ominous cloud on the credibility of the system of governance by laws in force”.

Stating that the satellite images with respect to environmental damage and destruction by illegal mining had “shocked judicial conscience”,the court said public interest would precede individual interest of these 49 category ‘C’ leaseholders and hence “complete closure” of these mines was warranted.

The leases for iron ore mining had been categorised by the court-appointed central empowered committee as ‘A’,‘B’ and ‘C’,based on the level of alleged illegalities. Of the 166 mining leases where operations were banned in 2011,the court suspended the leases for seven category ‘B’ mines on the Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border.