Authority: Supreme Court of India
Order Date: 16-10-2026
Case Overview
- Petition for Special Leave to Appeal (C) No. 35192/2026, arising from the impugned final judgment and order dated 29-07-2026 in WA No. 73/2025 of the Gauhati High Court.
- Parties: Sthenos Cement Pvt Ltd & Anr. (Petitioner) vs. The Union of India & Ors. (Respondent).
- The petitioner holds a prospecting licence and submitted an application for a mining lease within the stipulated time.
- Senior counsel Mr. Krishnan Venugopal contended that the State Government had communicated a decision to grant the mining lease, and under the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 read with Mineral (Other Than Atomic and Hydro Carbons Energy Minerals) Concession Rules, 2016, an approved mining plan is required only for signing the lease, not for the communication of the decision.
- The counsel further argued that the petitioner’s case falls under Section 10(A)(2)(b) of the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 as amended in 2015.
- Reference was made to a similar pending matter, Civil Appeal No.13693 of 2024 (The State of Karnataka & Anr. v. Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited & Anr.).
Final Outcome
- The Court issued a notice and tagged the matter with Civil Appeal No.13693 of 2024.
- An interim status quo order was imposed, directing that the area of 4.96 sq.kms in Taliha, Upper Subansiri District, Arunachal Pradesh shall be maintained by the parties pending further proceedings.
Topics: Mining Lease, Legal Dispute