SC tells petitioner to argue Mundra SEZ case before Guj HC

New Delhi, Jul 9 (UNI) The Supreme Court today restrained till July 18 the Adani Group from filling creeks at the Mundra Port SEZ area in Gujarat.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P Sathasivam and J M Panchal also directed the petitioner, Jat Imran Salim, who had challenged the allotment of 7000 hectares of land by the Narendra Modi government to the Adani, to argue the case before the Gujarat High Court where it was already pending.

Earlier, senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for the Adani Group, contended before the court that the writ petition was mischievous and he had suppressed material facts from the court and he is a man with dubious antecedents.

Mr Salve also sought permission from the apex court to challenge the locus standi of the petitioner in the High Court.

Counsel for the petitioner, however, prayed that the environmental aspects of the area had been totally ignored and a large number of trees had also been felled to carry out the dredging activities and in filling creeks.

Mr Salve contended that the company had already made a huge investment and the power plant was nearing completion and the ports were already functioning at Mundra.

UNI SC SW KN1647