Environmental Clearance Must Precede Mining Lease Lapse Proceedings Against JSW Steel : Chhattisgarh HC
The Chhattisgarh High Court has delivered an important judgment clarifying that the two-year period for declaring a mining lease as lapsed under Section 4A(4) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act) begins only after the grant of environmental clearance. The Court held that a mining lessee cannot be penalized for…