RANCHI: The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday rejected the state government’s plea, which sought to lift the stay on the allocation of sand ghats and other minor mineral areas across the state.
A division bench of Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Rajesh Shankar, while hearing a contempt petition, reiterated that the ban will remain in place until the state government notifies the rules under the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA).
Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan, appearing for the state, informed the court that comments on the draft PESA rules had been sought from 17 departments, but five departments were yet to respond.