Bharat Coking Coal Limited informed stock exchanges that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has disposed of a litigation alleging illegal mining at its sites in Jharkhand. The tribunal declined to exercise jurisdiction as identical reliefs are pending before the High Court of Jharkhand.

Litigation details

The disposal relates to Original Application No. 57/2023/EZ, Ajay Rajak v. Ministry of Coal & Ors. The application, filed before the NGT Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata, alleged violations of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The petitioner contended that illegal mining was occurring at Central Surunga Paharigora, Parbad Laxmi Colliery, and other sites located at Alakdiha OP in District Dhanbad, Jharkhand.

Tribunal's reasoning

In its order dated October 8, 2026, the NGT stated it did not consider it proper to exercise parallel jurisdiction. This decision was based on the fact that identical reliefs are currently pending before the Hon'ble High Court of Jharkhand at Ranchi. The company disclosed this development under Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.

Disclosure timeline

The company secretary and compliance officer, Debanuj Debnath, signed the disclosure letter to the listing departments of the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.

Bharat Coking Coal Limited faces a confirmed liability of ₹46.20 crore after the Supreme Court of India dismissed its petition challenging a lower court decree. The apex court upheld the payment order to AT-Libra BPL JV for heavy earth moving machinery services rendered at the Golukdih NC Project in Dhanbad.

The dismissal, recorded in CA No. 1629/2026 on October 8, 2026, affirms the High Court of Jharkhand's earlier ruling from August 8, 2024. This High Court decision had itself affirmed the Commercial Court of Dhanbad's decree dated May 8, 2023, which directed the company to pay the principal amount along with interest at 10.5% per annum.

Litigation timeline and contractual basis

The dispute originates from a contract awarded to AT-Libra BPL (JV), a project-specific joint venture, following a Notice Inviting Tender dated December 27, 2010. The contract covered the hiring of Heavy Earth Moving Machinery (HEMM) for overburden removal and coal transportation at the Golukdih NC Project.

The legal progression involved multiple judicial tiers:

What the Numbers Show

The finality of the Supreme Court's order transforms a contingent liability into a definitive financial obligation. The inclusion of 10.5% per annum interest since the initial decree date implies that the total cash outflow will exceed the stated principal of ₹46.20 crore, depending on the accrual period until actual settlement. For a public sector undertaking, this represents a direct hit to operating cash flows and potentially impacts profitability metrics if not already fully provisioned.

Next steps

Bharat Coking Coal has been advised by its conducting counsel to file a Review Petition against the Supreme Court's order. The company stated that further developments would be disclosed in accordance with regulatory requirements under Regulation 30 of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.