By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, March 4, 2016 : A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India on Friday recommended the Chief Justice to constitute a three-judge bench to conduct hearing on Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC)’s interlocutory application seeking reconvention of gram sabhas for bauxite mining in the Niyamgiri Hills.

The bench ruled that the next hearing in the matter will be taken up after formation of a three-judge bench.

The Odisha government through the state owned OMC on February 25 had moved the Apex Court seeking reconvention of gram sabhas so as to take another look into whether bauxite mining in the Niyamgiri hills will be tantamount to an infringement of the religious, community and individual rights of local forest-dwellers.

Appearing on behalf of the state government, senior counsel C A Sundaram mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur that the gram sabhas have failed to take into account the Supreme Court’s earlier directive to consider the cultural and religious rights of the tribals and forest-dwellers in Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. On the other hand, the sabhas had gone beyond their mandate by deciding against mining in the hills.