In Brief
Bhushan Power & Steel Limited sought to enforce earlier Supreme Court judgments requiring the State Government to recommend mining lease approval. The State Government complied by recommending the case to the Central Government, but after new mining legislation came into force in 2015, the Central Government rejected the application as ineligible under new provisions. The petitioner argued the recommendation letter was a protected 'Letter of Intent'. The Court held the recommendation was merely advisory to the Central Government and not a binding Letter of Intent. The State Government had complied with its court-ordered obligation to recommend; the Central Government was never party to the judgment and must decide independently under the new legal regime. The contempt petition was dismissed.",
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