Supreme Court permits Oil India to challenge national park drilling rejection

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted Oil India permission to withdraw an existing application and file a new plea seeking to overturn the government's rejection of its Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) proposal for hydrocarbon extraction in the sensitive ecological zone.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, alongside justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, heard submissions from Oil India's senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, who emphasized the urgency of the matter and requested priority listing for hearing.

Dwivedi contended that the project does not constitute mining activity as commonly understood. He explained that while the area borders the national park, the pipeline infrastructure extends 4,000 metres underground before proceeding horizontally, with the surface laying occurring outside park boundaries. He added that all necessary approvals have been secured except for clearance from a 2023 Supreme Court order that had imposed mining restrictions in the region.

The petition has been filed in the long-standing case TN Godavarman Thirumulpad versus Union of India, which dates back to 1995 and has established significant precedents on environmental protection and natural resource management in India.