The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre and the Orissa government on a plea alleging that majority stake in a coal block, allocated to the state mining corporation, was illegally given to a private company.

The public interest litigation (PIL) has alleged that Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) was divested of the coal block, in Talcher coalfield of Angul district, and the same was handed over to Delhi-based private mining firm Sainik Mining and Allied Services Ltd.