New Delhi: The Jharkhand government has moved the Supreme Court against the Centre's decision to auction coal blocks situated in the state for commercial mining alleging that the announcement was made unilaterally without its consultation.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government has filed an original suit under Article 131 of the Constitution which provides for the state to move directly to the Supreme Court in matters of dispute with the Centre.
The move came weeks after Jharkhand government had filed a separate petition in the apex court challenging the Centre's action for virtual auction process of 41 coal blocks for commercial mining.
In its suit, the state has claimed that it is highly inappropriate for the Centre to conduct auction at this time of COVID-19 pandemic as all the machinery of the state and the Centre are to be enjoined to "alleviate the problems of citizen" caused due to the deadly virus.
It claimed that the suit has been filed to "assail the unilateral, highhanded, arbitrary and illegal action" of the Centre in launching the auction of commercial coal mining for nine coal blocks situated within the territory of Jharkhand.
"The defendant (Centre) has announced the impugned auction unilaterally without consultation with the plaintiff (Jharkhand). The plaintiff state is the owner of the mines and minerals situated within the territory of the plaintiff," said the suit, settled by advocates including Jharkhand's Additional Advocate General Tapesh Singh.
"The meetings of February 2020 are meaningless as they do not take into account the materially changed circumstance arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Renewed consultation with the plaintiff state was indeed required due to COVID-19 pandemic which has brought the nation and the entire globe to a standstill, in a manner never seen before," it said.