HC allows impleadment of intervenors against Sterlite

The specially ordered bench comprising Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Bhavani Subbaroyan, which commenced hearing of batch of petitions from Vedanta, on hearing lengthy arguments about the impleading petitioner neither being a ‘proper party’ or a ‘necessary party’ to the case, said, “So far as the impleading of Vaiko and Fathima, the earlier round of litigation was on account of the fact that they were the writ petitioners in this Court and Supreme Court and necessarily they need to be arrayed as party before this Court.”

Also, the bench while allowing other petitioners such as S Raja, Raju Hari Raghavan, KS Arjunan to be impleaded said, “We find from the facts placed before us that all these persons have played a role in one or more proceedings either before NGT or this court or Supreme Court. Apart from the above, two of them have appeared before committee headed by Justice Tarun Agarwal and one of the petitioners was detained under Goondas Act for his participation in the agitations to close the petitioner’s industry.”

However, the bench dismissed all the 21 petitions filed in support of Sterlite after holding that they are either dependents on the petitioners Industry or they are downstream industries, or they have in some manner benefited on account of Sterlite. “We are of the view that these petitions are counterblast to the other impleading petitioners with a view to create a check mate for the prayer for impleadment. Hence dismissed,” the bench held whileposting the case for further hearing toJune 20.