What happened

The Supreme Court ordered a fresh public hearing for the Mahengo coal mine. The Supreme Court also permitted limited, site-related clearance actions to continue in the interim period, rather than imposing an immediate total stop on all related site activities. The Supreme Court scheduled further consideration on a specified next date, keeping the case under active judicial oversight.

Background and earlier position

Environmental clearance decisions for mining projects depend on process safeguards, including public consultation through a public hearing. Courts in environmental matters can require correction of process defects when the public consultation stage is found to be inadequate for procedural fairness and decision-making legitimacy.

Judicial review in environmental governance typically examines whether decision-makers followed required procedures and fairness safeguards. Procedural remedies such as ordering a fresh public hearing are used to restore the consultation stage’s correctness before the clearance outcome is finalized.

What changed now

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