Supreme Court urges Odisha High Court to revisit special bench for illegal mining cases
The Supreme Court has asked the Orissa High Court to re-examine its request for a dedicated bench to speed up illegal mining litigation, citing the state's stalled recovery of billions in dues.
In a recent order, Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu instructed the Orissa High Court to revisit its December 10, 2025 request for a dedicated bench to hear illegal mining petitions. The Supreme Court acknowledged the high court’s staffing deficit—only 15 judges against a sanctioned 33—but emphasized the urgency of recovering state dues stalled by stay orders. The directive follows a 2017 Supreme Court ruling that empowered Odisha to claim compensation from companies operating without environmental and forest clearances under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.
The state has recovered over ₹15,561.19 crore from 107 leases, leaving about ₹2,965.28 crore unpaid for 26 leases. Seven petitions from leaseholders in Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh and Keonjhar remain pending, with interim stays granted between November 2025 and June 2026. NGOs Common Cause, represented by Prashant Bhushan and Pranav Sachdeva, highlighted the backlog, while the state’s additional solicitor general KM Nataraj said the shortage of judges hampers hearing the applications. The Supreme Court set the next hearing for December 8 and urged administrative action to form the special bench.
Why it matters
Delays in illegal mining cases prevent Odisha from collecting billions of rupees owed to the state.
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