In Brief
Sunder Marketing Associates sought to surrender a mining lease for the Dadam quarry in Haryana. The Supreme Court held that while the petitioner's original partner could withdraw from the joint venture, the subsequent transfer of the entire lease solely to the petitioner was illegal because the petitioner itself was not a qualified bidder—only the joint venture was. The Court allowed surrender subject to strict compliance with statutory rules: continued payment of dues and royalty until 30 November 2017, implementation of mine closure plan, payment of employee wages, and non-alienation of equipment. The Court noted the petitioner's apparent influence and directed strict enforcement of all applicable laws.
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