Authority: Supreme Court of India

Order Date: 06-10-2026

Case Overview

  • Petitioners: Common Cause (as petitioner) versus Union of India & others (respondents).
  • The matter stems from the final judgment and order dated 02‑08‑2017 in W.P.(C) No.114/2014 (Common Cause v. Union of India).
  • Several interlocutory applications were listed, notably I.A. No.77513/2024 (Kunal Kishore Das), I.A. No.102100/2025 (Shakuntala Mishra), and others concerning lease termination, compensation, and stock disposal.
  • Issue 1: Condone delay in payment of compensation as ordered by the 2017 judgment.
  • Issue 2: Whether the challenge to termination of a mining lease and a direction to resume mining can be entertained.
  • Issue 3: Permission to sell undisposed stock lying at mining sites.
  • The Court also noted pending writ petitions in the High Court of Orissa (several OPDR cases) and the shortage of judges there.

Court Findings & Directions

1. Condonation of Compensation Delay – For applicant Kunal Kishore Das (I.A. No.77513/2024), the Court condoned the delay, directing the State of Orissa to verify if interest has been paid; if not, interest at 12% per annum shall be levied. The application is disposed of.

2. Lease Substitution – For applicant Shakuntala Mishra (I.A. No.102100/2025), the Court directed the State to open the mining‑lease portal to allow the applicant to be recorded as lessee in place of her deceased husband, subject to verification of her claim. The applicant is exempted from interest, and the portal’s prescribed modalities must be followed. The application is disposed of.

3. Pending Revision – The Court noted a revision application before the Ministry of Mines concerning revival of the mining lease and left it to the Revisional Authority to consider and decide.

4. Further Applications – The Court ordered that I.A. No.167870/2024 (M/S Bhanja Minerals Pvt. Ltd.) be listed for hearing on the next date, and also listed I.A. No.130079/2018 and I.A. No.248545/2025 for the next hearing.

5. Stock Sale Permission – The Court directed that the issue of permission to sell undisposed stock at the mining sites be heard in depth on the next date of hearing.

6. High Court of Orissa Matters – The Court listed several pending writ petitions (W.P.(C) Nos. 17979/2026, 18009/2026, 18075/2026, 34557/2025, 33511/2025, 3052/2026, 35603/2025) with various interim orders and stays, and urged the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court to consider constituting a dedicated bench for early disposal of these matters.

7. Administrative Directions – The Court requested the Chief Justice to pass appropriate administrative orders, re‑listed the miscellaneous applications for 08‑December‑2026 (NMD), and directed that a copy of this order be forwarded to the Registrar General of the High Court of Orissa.

Final Outcome

  • The Court condoned compensation delay with a possible 12% interest charge, permitted lease substitution without interest, disposed of the two specific interlocutory applications, scheduled further hearings on pending applications and stock‑sale permission, and called for administrative measures to expedite related writ petitions in the Orissa High Court.

Topics: Compensation Delay, Mining Lease Substitution, High Court Bench Formation