Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, 1957

The State of Orissa challenged the validity of the Orissa Rural Employment, Education and Production Act, 1992 which imposed a tax of Rs 32,000 per acre on coal‑bearing lands. The High Court held that the State legislature lacked competence to levy such a tax and struck down the provision. On appeal, the Supreme Court …

The State of Odisha owned certain lands that were acquired by the Central Government under the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, 1957. The Central Government, exercising power under s.11(1), directed that the rights in those lands vest in Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd, a Government company. The State issu…

The case concerned compensation disputes arising from the erection of transmission towers and power lines under a 400 kV project that traversed four districts in Haryana. Landowners claimed that the compensation awarded by the District Judges and upheld by the High Court was inadequate, while the contractor sought to l…

Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd., a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd., sought relief from an order of the Orissa High Court directing payment of compensation for lands acquired in 1987 under the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, 1957. The lands, belonging to tribal owners, had never been compensated despite the…

Three coal companies (Bharat Coking Coal Ltd., Tata Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., Central Coalfields Ltd. & Coal India Ltd.) claimed ownership of coal slurry that escaped from their washery plants and settled on river beds and raiyati lands. The State of Bihar granted leases to private contractors to collect the slurry withou…

The petitioners, holders of jenmi rights in Malabar, Kerala, challenged the State's demand for royalties on minerals extracted from their lands, arguing that they owned the sub‑soil. The Kerala High Court held that the minerals belonged to the State and dismissed the writ petitions. On appeal, the Supreme Court examine…

The Supreme Court dealt with a long‑standing dispute involving tribal landowners whose lands were acquired by the government in the late 1980s for coal mining by Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. (MCL). The key issues were the applicable law for compensation and rehabilitation, the cut‑off date for valuation, the relevance of t…

The State of Uttar Pradesh sought to recover annual lease rent from Northern Coal Fields Ltd., a government company, for forest land transferred for mining under the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, 1957. The land had been acquired by the Central Government in 1981 under s.10(1) of the Act and subs…

Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. (MCL) sought extensions and directions from the Supreme Court to finalize compensation and rehabilitation benefits for land oustees of four villages (Tumulia, Jhupuranga, Ratansara, Kirpsira) acquired for coal mining. The Court had earlier, in its 03.11.2022 judgment, fixed the Gopalpur model f…

Central Coalfields Ltd., a government company engaged in coal mining, was directed by the Certificate Officer to pay surface rent for coal‑bearing areas under the Bihar & Orissa Public Demands Recovery Act, 1914. The company contended that, pursuant to the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, 1957, the…