Politics · India Bureau
Karnataka mining auction faces legal challenge over Supreme Court order violations
An activist group has filed a contempt petition against the Karnataka government, alleging it violated Supreme Court directives by merging expired mining leases and auctioning them as new blocks.
LSN India ·
The Samaj Parivartana Samudaya (SPS), a civil society organization, has moved court with allegations that the Karnataka government circumvented Supreme Court orders through its recent mining block auction process. According to SPS founder-president S.R. Hiremath, the state government amalgamated areas from cancelled and expired iron ore mining leases into five newly created blocks before putting them up for auction.
The activist group contends this consolidation violated existing judicial directives governing how mining leases should be handled following cancellations or expiry. By repackaging previously rejected mining areas into fresh blocks, the state allegedly created new auction opportunities without complying with court-mandated procedures.
The contempt petition represents an escalation in ongoing disputes over Karnataka's mining sector oversight. The case highlights tensions between the state government's efforts to monetize mining resources and judicial oversight designed to ensure transparency and regulatory compliance in the sector.
The petition is expected to be heard by the court in due course, with potential implications for how the state government manages future mining lease auctions and consolidations.