Meghalaya High Court Orders Quarterly Monitoring of Amrit Cement’s Mining Operations
The case relates to allegations of illegal limestone mining by Amrit Cement at Mulieh, Umlong village in East Jaintia Hills district.
SHILLONG- In a significant directive, the Meghalaya High Court has ordered the Chief Secretary of the state to ensure that a formal enquiry is conducted every three months into the mining operations of Amrit Cement Industries Ltd., and that the findings be published on the government website for public transparency.
The case relates to allegations of illegal limestone mining by Amrit Cement at Mulieh, Umlong village in East Jaintia Hills district. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL No. 1/2025) was filed by Ranjit Chandra Goswami, who accused the company of engaging in illegal mining both before and after receiving a mining license on January 11, 2023.
The High Court bench of Chief Justice I.P. Mukerji and Justice W. Diengdoh heard arguments from multiple parties, including Advocate Amit Goyal for the petitioner and DSGI Nitesh Mozika representing the state government, and the central agencies like the CBI and ED.
The petitioner challenged the state’s clean chit to Amrit Cement, claiming he was not heard during the inquiry. The Advocate General, however, argued that the company lawfully sourced limestone from private vendors prior to the licence and that the petitioner had vested business interests.
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Senior Advocate D.K. Banerjee, representing Amrit Cement, stated that although the company had obtained a license, mining had not yet commenced, but preparations were underway.
Meanwhile, the court directed “The Chief Secretary or a competent officer authorized by him shall conduct a quarterly enquiry and publish on the government website whether the company is operating in accordance with the mining licence.”
With these directions in place, the High Court disposed of the PIL but ensured continued vigilance and public disclosure.
