Archive · 22 Dec 2025
Kerala High Court Upholds State Minerals Law
The Kerala High Court has decided that the state can't ask for money (royalty) from people who mined minerals on their own land before 2021.
The court said the Kerala Minerals (Vesting of Rights) Act, 2021 is okay and doesn't break any rules.
This law says the state owns all minerals, but the court ruled that the state can't ask for money for mining that happened before the law was made.
People who mine still need permission to protect the environment.
The court also said the state has a duty to take care of natural resources for everyone's benefit.
The Kerala High Court upheld the Kerala Minerals (Vesting of Rights) Act, 2021, which vests mineral rights in the state.
The court ruled that the state cannot claim royalty for minerals extracted by private landowners before the Act came into existence.
The Act does not violate the right to property under Article 300A or the right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution.
The court emphasized that quarrying activities require environmental clearance from the concerned authority.
The state argued that it has a legal duty to protect natural resources under the public trust doctrine.
- Who
- Kerala High Court, private landowners, Kerala government
- What
- Upholding of the Kerala Minerals (Vesting of Rights) Act, 2021 and ruling on royalty claims
- When
- After the enactment of the Kerala Minerals (Vesting of Rights) Act, 2021
- Where
- Kerala, India, specifically the former Malabar province
- Why
- To determine the ownership of mineral rights and the state's authority to claim royalty
- Act
- Kerala Minerals (Vesting of Rights) Act, 2021
- Court
- Kerala High Court
- Judge
- Justice Kauser Edappagath
- Applicability
- Mining activities in former Malabar province
- Royalty Claim
- State cannot claim royalty for pre-2021 mining
- Environmental Clearance
- Required for quarrying activities
- Constitutional Articles
- Articles 304, 300A, 14
- State's Argument
- Public trust doctrine and resource distribution