The Andhra High Court has expressed serious concern over the grant of mining rights for 92.40 acres of land in Mimidi Village to M/s. Sri Kumara Swamy Silica Mines, noting that the land was earlier classified as ‘Forest reserve Poramboke’.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Ravi Cheemalapati, strongly questioned how the same area, which was declared a reserved forest, could have been subsequently reclassified and allocated by the Mines Department as ‘Jungle Poramboke land’.

In reply to the questions posed in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the court ordered, “Committee be constituted under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, comprising the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and the Principal Secretary of Revenue Department, who shall examine the issue and submit a report to this Court. In case the Committee finds that the conversion was only with a view to facilitate the allotment of mining rights in favour of respondent No.11, the same be also specifically stated in the report. The Committee shall also state as to what action it contemplates to initiate against the concerned in case it is found that the reclassification was done for mala fide reasons.”

The court was informed that, as of now, no mining operations are being carried out by Respondent No.11, since the environmental clearance granted to it has been stayed by an order of the National Green Tribunal(NGT).

The matter is now listed on 19.11.2025 for further hearing.

Case Title: B Madhan Kumar Reddy v. The Union of India and others WP(PIL) NO: 22 of 2017

Appearance:

Advocate for Petitioner : Mr. Kambhampati Ramesh Babu

Advocate(s) for Respondent(s): Mr. K S Murthy, Senior Counsel GP for Forests, GP for Mines and Geology, GP for Revenue