Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Amendment Act, 1976

The Supreme Court examined public‑interest writ petitions challenging the allocation of coal blocks by the Central Government between 1993 and 2011. The Court held that the allocation process, carried out through the Screening Committee and a government‑dispensation route, was not authorized by the Mines and Minerals (…

The Supreme Court examined writ petitions filed by former coal‑mine workers alleging that Section 3(3) of the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Amendment Act, 1976, which bans coal mining by any agency other than those specified, violated Article 14 by discriminating against them. The petitioners also claimed that private m…

The Supreme Court examined whether Section 3(3) of the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Amendment Act, 1976 barred the extraction of coking coal. Petitioners argued that the amendment applied only to ordinary coal mines, not to coking coal mines, relying on the separate legislative history of coking‑coal legislation. The C…

The petition filed by B.K. Naik and 700 workmen sought a writ of mandamus directing the Central Government to declare that Natundihi Pahariabera Colliery had vested in it and to treat the petitioners as its employees with back wages under Section 14 of the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act, 1973. The Court examined whet…

The Supreme Court examined a group of writ petitions challenging the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Amendment Act, 1976, which terminated existing coal mining leases and barred private persons from carrying out coal mining operations. The petitioners, lessees of coal and composite (coal‑fireclay) mines, argued that the a…