V.P. Pithup1Tchai And Anr vs Special Secretary To The Govt. Of Tamil ...

The Supreme Court held that seashells do not qualify as 'minerals' under the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1957, as defined in Section 3(a) and Section 3(e) of the Act. The Court emphasized the distinction between 'minor minerals' and 'major minerals', clarifying that the regulation of minor minerals falls under the jurisdiction of State Governments as per Section 15. Consequently, the appellants were not entitled to mining leases for seashells, leading to the dismissal of their appeal.