Madras High Court Lets Vaiko Oppose Vedanta's Green Copper Plant Plea

The Madras High Court has allowed MDMK general secretary Vaiko to oppose a writ petition by Vedanta Limited challenging Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board's refusal of permission for a green copper plant at the defunct Sterlite copper site in Thoothukudi. The Hindu reported that the First Division Bench listed the petition for November 20, 2026.

Vaiko and Traders Join the Vedanta Case

A First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan allowed petitions by Vaiko, the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu traders' federation represented by secretary R. Rajkumar, and activist R. Fatima of Thoothukudi to be impleaded as respondents because they wanted to oppose Vedanta's plea. Senior counsel P.S. Raman and Satish Parasaran, assisted by Rahul Balaji, appeared for Vedanta.

Vedanta challenged a January 27 order in which the TNPCB refused Consent to Operate the proposed plant. The company also asked the court to constitute a court-monitored multidisciplinary expert committee with State and Centre representatives and independent experts to examine the proposal before reporting to the court within a set time frame.

In a February 2026 affidavit, Vedanta argued that the TNPCB rejection rested on a flawed premise that past regulatory actions and earlier judicial proceedings rule out consideration of a re-engineered facility. The company said the green copper process would use 30% recycled input, cut slag generation by 15% and hazardous waste by about 40%, and achieve a 34% reduction in carbon footprint. It said the plant would produce copper cathode with less than 0.9 kg of CO2 emissions per kg of copper, about 50% below the global average.

Vedanta's Scale Behind the Thoothukudi Proposal

Vedanta is a Hyderabad-headquartered metals and mining group founded in 1954, with Anil Agarwal as non-executive chairman, according to akta.pro company records. The same records put FY26 revenue at ₹1,74,075 crore, up 15% year on year, and FY26 EBITDA up 29% to ₹55,976 crore. The records list nine funding rounds, including $208.4 million of post-IPO debt in September 2026.

Vedanta's Recent Expansion Moves

Vedanta commissioned the Gamsberg Phase II concentrator in South Africa in the second quarter of FY2027, adding 200,000 mt/year of zinc capacity to reach about 500,000 mt/year, Shanghai Metals Market reported. The $595 million project was at 70% capacity, with production costs at $1,533/mt.

The Times of India reported that Vedanta is exploring an Rs 80,000 crore investment in Bengal for power and aluminium projects, with Asansol as a potential location and a feasibility study to follow. Construction World reported that Vedanta's consolidated net profit rose 9.11% to Rs 36.5bn for the quarter ended September 30, on higher base metal prices.

November 20 Hearing Set for Vedanta Petition

The High Court Registry was directed to list Vedanta's writ petition next on November 20, 2026 for further hearing.