
Efforts on to settle issue of recovery of mining royalty, tax dues with certain states: Centre to SC
tax dues on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands between it and several mineral-rich states. The top court meanwhile deferred to April 24 the hearing on subsequent pleas of several mineral-rich states like Jharkhand seeking to recover royalty and tax dues on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands worth thousands of crore of rupees from the Centre and the mining firms.
A special three-judge bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and MM Sundresh and Ujjal Bhuyan said it will decide on the sequence in which the pleas of several mineral-rich states would be heard.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said efforts were on to find a settlement of the issue and the pleas may be listed in the first week of May.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for Jharkhand, said a settlement can be arrived at any stage and the hearing should not be delayed.
On July 25, 2024, a nine-judge bench headed by the then Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud (since retired), in a majority 8:1 verdict, had ruled that the legislative power to tax mineral rights vests in states and not Parliament.
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In a subsequent order on August 14, the top court clarified that the judgement will not have prospective effect and permitted mineral-rich states recover from the Centre and mining firms the royalty and tax dues on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands worth thousands of crore of rupees since April 1, 2005 over a period of 12 years.
Later, a special bench headed by Justice Oka was set up to resolve the