The Supreme Court has dismissed the review petitions filed by Goa and Vedanta Limited against a 2018 order cancelling the state government’s move to renew 88 mining leases, citing the delay in filing them and a lack of cogent grounds for it. It expressed displeasure over the timings of the pleas. The court noted Goa filed them after one of the two judges, who passed the 2018 order, retired and Vedanta when both had retired.

In February 2018, the court cancelled the renewals issued in 2015, saying they were granted in haste and without application of mind. Goa filed its review pleas over a year later in late 2019. Vedanta followed suit in 2020. Goa’s review pleas came 650 days after the Supreme Court’s February 2018 order and that of Vedanta after 907 days.

“In accordance with Rule 2 of Order XLVII of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013, an application for review of a judgement has to be filed within thirty days of the date of the judgement or order that is sought to be reviewed. No cogent grounds have been furnished for the delay between 20 and 26 months by the two parties in filing their applications for review,” a bench of justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah said in their order on July 9.

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