SC rejects Karnataka miners' plea to lift levy

Both central and Karnataka governments had opposed the demand of the miners

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the request of mining lessees in Karnataka to lift the demand of 10 per cent levy on sales to finance a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to restore the environmentally damaged districts in the state.
 
The court had in 2013 ordered the SPV's establishment, following the unearthing of a mining scam, involving influential politicians and iron ore barons. The state government has since set up the SPV, called the Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Corporation.
 
The Federation of Indian Mining Industry and leading miner company Vedanta had argued that after the 2015 amendment to