Two public spirited individuals Shailendra Kumar Sharma and Champer M. Sangma who filed separate PILs in the Meghalaya High Court regarding illegal coke plants and illegal coal mining in the State have expressed concern over their personal safety.
This was revealed by the division bench of Meghalaya High Court today while hearing the PIL filed by Sangma on illegal mining and transportation of coal.
During hearing of his PIL on coke plants yesterday, Kumar told the full bench of the High Court that he had been threatened with dire consequences by one of the kingpins of coke plants.
The High Court has asked Kumar to file an affidavit indicating the nature of the threat and the person or persons at whose behest or by whom such threats may have been made. His case will be heard on July 6.
Similarly, Sangma has expressed apprehension over his own safety after he filed the PIL on illegal mining and transportation of coal.
However, the High Court has warned the State government that it would be held responsible should any harm or “even the slightest scratch or sprain” happen to the two petitioners.
“Since, hopefully, the rule of law can still be presumed to operate in the State, notwithstanding the blatant manner in which orders of the Supreme Court prohibiting illegal mining of coal have been flouted by the administration and completely overlooked by the police machinery, the State is put on notice that should any harm, even the slightest scratch or sprain, come to any of the petitioners in this and the other matters pertaining to illegal coal-mining and illegal coke oven operations, the State will be held responsible,” the court said.
Meanwhile, the High Court has expressed its displeasure with the adjournment sought by the lawyer of Jai Maa Coal Private Limited.
“It had been sufficiently made clear that in this matter adjournments should not be sought and it is unfortunate that counsel lends his cause for an adjournment to be sought by what appears to be an entity or a group of persons having complete disregard for law and authority,” the High Court said.
“The respondent No.14 (Jai Maa Coal Private Limited), which and its associates operate across several states, has spared no efforts to scuttle this matter, whether by seeking adjournments or by trying to divert the attention of the court to irrelevant matters and it is unfortunate that the request today is for an adjournment on the medical ground of counsel,” the court said.
Jai Maa Coal Private Limited which operates in its own name or through other entities owned and controlled by the same person from Assam has exported close to 2 lakh metric tons of coal in the last 15 months through the Land Customs Station in Gasuapara, South Garo Hills District by claiming the coal to have been mined outside the State. The State government officials also certified that the coal was mined outside Meghalaya without bothering to make any inquiries as to the origin of the coal.
The High Court mentioned that the State government had been warned by the Central government, including the Union Minister for Finance, that it should guard against illegally-mined coal in the State being exported by fabricating documents.
“Little or nothing was done by the State in such regard. To top it all, the receipt of such letters was actively concealed by the State from the court till a few months back,” the High Court said.
