The Lost Verdict: How Supreme Court's vision for Lanjigarh could've made India self-reliant in Bauxite

IN 2008, a landmark judgment was delivered by a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India led by Justice S.H. Kapadia, who later became the Chief Justice of India. At the heart of the case was the Lanjigarh bauxite mining project in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, an initiative that promised to transform one of India’s most underdeveloped regions into a beacon of sustainable growth.

- PBD BUREAU

The verdict was not only favourable to mining but was also revolutionary in the way it balanced development with ecological and social safeguards, creating one of the most stringent frameworks for resource extraction India has ever seen.

Yet today, nearly two decades later, the vision remains unfulfilled, and India continues to import what it already owns in abundance.

Supreme Court’s Mandate: Growth with Responsibility

Justice Kapadia’s judgment was a landmark in more ways than one. It laid out a comprehensive blueprint for responsible mining with conditions that were designed to uplift people and protect the environment. Some of the conditions include: 5% of net profits earmarked for the development of local communities - funds that could have built schools, hospitals, roads, and irrigation facilities across Kalahandi;