Tthe Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act) Section 4(1-A), Section 23C – The Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 2017 (MCDR, 2017) Rule 45 – The core legal question was whether permission or a No-objection Certificate from the District Collector is required for transporting validly imported major minerals. V.V.Titanium Pigments Private Limited, an importer of ilmenite, challenged the District Collector’s order to halt the transportation of their goods from the port. The State argued that the District Collector held powers under the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage of Minerals and Mineral Dealers Rules, 2011, and Rule 45 of the Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 2017, citing concerns about illegal minerals being disguised as imported.
The Court clarified that while the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act), specifically Section 4(1-A) which refers to “any mineral,” does apply to imported minerals, the rules cited by the State did not confer the asserted power.