The Madras High Court on Thursday objected to the remarks of a Union Minister on the commissioning of the controversial Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) at a time when it had reserved orders on a batch of writ petitions pertaining to the project.
The oral observation of Justice P. Jyothimani came, when he, along with Justice P. Devadoss, constituting a Division Bench, was hearing two fresh petitions against the KKNPP — one seeking the quashing of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board order of July 23 that prescribed the tolerance limit of the project’s trade effluent and the other seeking to declare the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB)’s clearance for Initial Fuel Loading as null and void.
Reserves order
The Bench has reserved orders on a batch of petitions for and against the KKNPP.
Apparently upset at the Minister’s remarks pertaining to the commissioning of the plant, the judge said the cases were heard for a long time and several pages of the order had been dictated. In such a situation, the Minister was making statements. “What was the purpose of hearing the case for such a long time?” he said. The Centre thought that only the Supreme Court was a court and the Madras High Court was not a court.
They had made a mockery of the High Court.
