Denial of extension to panel; SC asks Centre to respond

The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to file its response by Wednesday on a plea challenging its decision not to grant extension beyond October 16 to the Justice M B Shah panel inquiring into mining-related issues.
"A reply be filed by Wednesday and the matter put for hearing on Monday," a three-judge forest bench of justices A K Patnaik, S S Nijjar and F M Ibrahim Kalifulla said.
The Justice Shah panel was appointed to inquire into illegal iron ore mining in the country and like in the case of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), it has also been wound up with malafide intention, Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGO Goa Foundation and others, said.

Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran, appearing for Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), said the reply was ready and would be filed during the week.
Earlier, the court had issued the notice to the MoEF on the plea, which, besides the NGO, was moved by S R Hiremath, founder President of Samaj Parivartana Samudaya (SPS) and Keshav Shori, Director of the Development Initiative for Sustainable Human Advancement (Disha).
The plea said either the Centre be asked to extend the tenure of the panel or another commission be formed under chairpersonship of Justice Shah to inquire into all aspects of illegal mining and other mining-related issues in the country.

The plea also sought a direction to the central government to place all reports of the Justice Shah Commission of Inquiry in the public domain.

The government has "malafidely" wound up the panel on October 16, it said, adding its reports had exposed "illegal mining" and that had led to banning of extractions of minerals in Goa.
Extension has been denied to the panel 16 when it was examining the illegal mining in Chhattisgarh in accordance with its terms of reference, it said.
The panel was given its first extension from July 17, 2012 to July 16, 2013.