SC to expedite hearing of Sterlite case

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to expedite its hearing of Orissa Government's appeal against the Centre's decision to withdraw its environmental clearance to Vedanta group firm Sterlite for its bauxite mining project in Niyamgiri Hills. A special forest bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and C K Prasad said it would take up the matter for final disposal before the ensuing summer vacation after senior counsel K K Venugopal submitted that the "investment and rehabilitation measures was being affected" on account of the Centre's act of withdrawing the clearance.