SHILLONG: The Supreme Court has directed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to disposed of the case pertaining the ban of coal mining in Meghalaya ‘as expeditiously as possible and at the earliest’.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) HL Dattu and Justice AK Sikri passed this interim order after hearing a writ petition filed by one Lber Laloo on February 2.
While dismissing the writ petition, the apex court in the order said that since the matter was an ‘interim in nature’ it would be meaningless to pass any order at the moment.
“At the moment, it will be meaningless to entertain the appeal against the NGT ban,” the order stated.
Laloo had filed the petition on behalf of the coal miners to seek a relief from the NGT ban on coal mining in Meghalaya in June last year.
“I have filed this appeal to seek relief. We are not sure about our future since the ban has been lingering for the past one year,” Laloo told newsmen in the presence of A Shanpru, president of the Meghalaya Commercial Truck Owners and Operators Association (MCTOOA), here on Monday.
While claiming that the apex court did not entertain any other writ petition filed by other stakeholders seeking a stay on the ban, Shanpru said that the court, however, had given a patient hearing to the submission made by the petitioner’s counsel.
Shanpru said, “Accepting the submissions made by the counsel, the Supreme Court was pleased to direct the NGT to hear the matter as expeditiously as possible.”
According to Shanpru, the apex court has given the best relief that it can give at the moment by asking the NGT to dispose of the case at the earliest and pass the final order in whatever way the NGT deems right and proper.
