The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Vizag based LG Polymers to submit a list of 30 personnel to the District Collector by 3 pm today who may be allowed access to the Plant Premises.
A three-judge bench comprising Justice U.U. Lalit, Justice Mohan M. Shanatanagoudar and Justice Vineet Saran today said this when Senior Counsel Mukul Rohatgi appearing for LG polymers submitted that they had approached Court against the NGT order 3 days ago. The appellants had moved the NGT regarding legalities, he further submitted.
He further informed the bench that the High Court had itself become a committee and has sealed the plant premises. Moreover access is available only to the High Court and the order of sealing was not passed when they were present in the Court and were neither informed, submitted Rohatgi.
The bench observed that there were certain issues which required consideration by the High Court, therefore the bench said that it will record the observations and send it to High Court for further consideration. Rohatgi submitted that the appellant wanted to participate and was not running away. Moreover, there could be more problems if they are denied access to the premises .
He further prayed for emergency access and submitted that the appeallants wished to file transfer petition after a week before the High Court.
The bench however said that the transfer petition would not be heard by the Supreme Court, but would be heard by the High Court or NGT.
The SC on the previous hearing refused to immediately interfere with NGT order which had constituted a five-member fact-finding committee and had also directed ‘LG Polymers’ to deposit Rs 50 crores for damage caused by a gas leak in Visakhapatnam, in which at least 12 people were killed.
LG Polymers had raised questions over setting up of several committees by the High Court, NHRC and Central government into the gas leakage incident of May 7. The Court said that the matter can be raised before the NGT on June 1.
The bench has listed the matter for next hearing on June 8.
Read the order here;
11636-2020-31-21-22183-Order-26-May-2020-India Legal Bureau