Forest Bench says statutory clearance is a must

The Forest Bench of the Supreme Court on Friday made it clear that no iron ore mining operations in Karnataka shall be permitted to resume unless there was statutory clearance for mining and till reclamation and rehabilitation was implemented in full. The Bench, comprising Justice Aftab Alam, Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Justice Swatanter Kumar, took the decision after the Central Empowered Committee in its August 16 report said “no further direction is required regarding sale of iron ore and/or resumption of mining operations by Category A mining leases.”