Authority: High Court of Odisha, Cuttack (Bench: Hon'ble Miss Justice Savitri Ratho and Hon'ble Mr Justice V. Narasingh)

Order Date: 12.06.2026

Case Overview

  • Parties: Petitioner – Santosh Kumar Patel; Opposite Parties – Directorate of Minor Minerals, State of Odisha (represented by its Director, Head of Department Building, Unit‑V, Bhubaneswar) and The Mining Officer, Rourkela Circle, RTO Office Road, Udit Nagar, Rourkela, District‑Sundargarh.
  • Nature of Proceeding: Writ petition (W.P.(C) No. 18226 of 2026) seeking a direction to extend the lease period for M/s Deobhubanpur Stone Quarry to satisfy the five‑year lease requirement under Rule 8(4) of the OMMCR Rules, 2016, in accordance with a Government Order (Annexure‑7).
  • Key Dates & Documents: Lease deed issued on 13.04.2023; lease set to expire on 04.06.2026. Environmental clearance, consent order, mining and blasting permissions were subsequently granted. Representation for lease extension filed on 23.04.2026 (Annexure‑9).
  • Petitioner’s Submissions: Counsel Mr. S. Mishra argued that the lease term should be calculated from the deed execution date, requiring a five‑year period ending on 04.06.2026, and therefore the lease needed a 3‑year‑9‑month extension.

Final Outcome

  • The writ petition is disposed without adjudicating the merits of the representation.
  • The Mining Officer, Rourkela Circle, is directed to dispose of the representation dated 23.04.2026 within four weeks of receiving a copy of this order and the writ petition.
  • Counsel for the petitioner undertakes to file a copy of this order with the Mining Officer by 18.06.2026.
  • Consequently, the writ petition and any pending interim applications stand disposed.

Topics: Lease Extension, Mining Regulation, Judicial Order