Orissa Mining Corporation Ltd vs Ministry Of Environment & Forest &Ors.;

The Supreme Court ruled that the Ministry of Environment and Forests' (MOEF) order dated 24.8.2010, which denied Stage-II forest clearance for the diversion of 660.749 hectares of forest land for bauxite mining by Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC), was valid. The Court emphasized the importance of environmental protection and upheld the Central Empowered Committee's recommendations against the project, citing the need to preserve wildlife habitats and ecological balance. The Court's decision reaffirmed the principles established in previous cases, including the Vedanta and Sterlite cases, regarding the necessity of environmental clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.