Tuticorin Sterlite plant reopening: Supreme Court refuses to stay NGT order
Thirteen people were killed last year when police opened fire on a demonstration against the Vedanta-owned plant, which residents and environmentalists have long wanted shut down.
In Short
- NGT dismissed TN govt's decision to close plant on December 15
- Madras High Court later rolled back green court's order
- TN govt didn't take policy decision on plant: Vaiko
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay a green court order to reopen the Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tuticorin, a coastal city in southern Tamil Nadu.
Thirteen people were killed last year when police opened fire on a demonstration against the Vedanta-owned plant, which residents and environmentalists have long wanted shut down. They cited air and water pollution -- a charge Vedanta denies.
Autopsy reports show 12 of them were hit by bullets in the head or the chest.
On December 15, the National Green Tribunal dismissed the Tamil Nadu government's decision to close the copper plant.
But the Madras High Court later rolled back the order, and ordered status quo for a month.
Vaiko, chief of the MDMK party, said Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami's government did not take a policy decision on the plant.
He accused the AIADMK administration of acting in a biased manner towards Sterlite.
Inputs from Shalini Lobo and Lokpria Vasudevan