Centre files curative plea on SC’s mineral tax order

The Union government has moved a curative petition urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its July 2024 judgment that granted states the legislative authority to impose taxes on minerals and mineral-bearing land, in addition to the royalty collected by the Centre.

- HT Correspondent

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing in an unrelated case, informed a bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta of this development, stating that the petition was filed “with all seriousness”.

A nine-judge bench, by an 8-1 majority, ruled against the review in October 2024, stating that there is no error apparent on the face of the record and therefore, no case for review has been established.

The Centre, along with some mining companies, had sought reconsideration of the July 2024 verdict, arguing that the judgment misinterpreted the concept of land, asserting that the ruling unjustifiably broadened the states’ legislative powers. According to the Centre, the judgment implied that states could legislate on any subject under the guise of regulating land and buildings, which the petition called a “constitutional anathema.”