STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND ORS. vs KRISHNADAS TIKARAM

The Supreme Court held that under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, any grant or renewal of mining leases requires prior approval from the Central Government, which was not obtained in this case. The Court emphasized that the renewal of the lease constitutes a fresh grant and must comply with statutory requirements. Consequently, the Court set aside the High Court's order directing the renewal of the lease, declaring the registration of the lease deed as illegal and invalid, and allowed the appeal without costs.