Authority: High Court of Jharkhand at Ranchi
Order Date: 05 November 2026
Case Overview
- Petitioners: Tata Iron & Steel Company Limited (registered office 24, Homi Mody Street (East), Bombay; works at Jamshedpur) and shareholder Arun Narayan Singh.
- Respondents: State of Bihar, Secretary Department of Irrigation, Government of Bihar, and Administrator Subarnarekha Multipurpose Project, Jharkhand.
- The writ petition (C.W.J.C. No. 3819 of 1993) concerned outstanding water tariff dues owed by Tata Steel to the Subarnarekha Multipurpose Project.
- Earlier, the Court on 02 September 2026 (Order No.-47) recorded preliminary settlement talks and adjourned the matter to 04 November 2026 for amicable settlement.
- A Mediation Committee was constituted by the Jharkhand Water Resources Department (Letter No.-727 dated 28 September 2026); Tata Steel nominated representatives (Letter No. AOICS/17V/26 dated 12 October 2026).
- The Committee met on 15 October 2026 at 3:00 PM in Ranchi and discussed the dispute.
- It was agreed that all disputes except the pending water tariff amount of ₹55.9425 crore for the period 01‑07‑1998 to 31‑03‑2023 had been resolved by earlier judgments dated 28 June 2024 (W.P. (C) No. 1915 of 2005 and W.P. (C) No. 4544 of 2011).
- Tata Steel voluntarily proposed to settle the remaining amount of ₹55.9425 crore (Rupees Fifty‑Five Crores Ninety‑Four Lakhs Twenty‑Five Thousand only) for the period prior to 01‑07‑1998 and to pay it within the financial year 2026‑27 as early as possible.
Final Outcome
- Both parties agreed to the settlement of all issues in C.W.J.C. No. 3819 of 1993.
- The Court, on joint request of counsel, disposed of the petition on the basis of the settlement, ordering no costs and terminating any pending interim applications.
Topics: Water Tariff Settlement, Judicial Mediation