High Court Orders Vedanta Chairperson Anil Agrawal to Honor Resettlement Benefits

The Chhattisgarh High Court has been petitioned to hold Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agrawal and several senior officials in contempt for allegedly failing to implement the resettlement benefits ordered by the court.

The contempt petition, filed on July 8, 2026, names Revenue and Disaster Management Secretary Shammah Abidi, District Collector Amrit Vikas Topno and Dabhara Sub‑Division Magistrate alongside Mr. Agrawal. It contends that, despite a 2023 court directive, families displaced by the Vedanta Power Plant have not received the allowances or job opportunities mandated by the 2007 Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy.

The background of the case lies in a 2008 land acquisition that seized about 1,000 acres for the then‑Athena Power Plant, affecting more than 800 households. The policy required that each eligible family obtain either a permanent job or a cash allowance. Petitioners maintain that none of these promises have been kept.

The plant started operations in 2013, was shut down in 2016 due to a financial crisis, and was later bought by Vedanta in 2022. After restarting in 2025, the displaced families say that over 400 households still lack employment and have not received the stipulated compensation.

In 2021 a collective of 37 families lodged a suit in the High Court. The court instructed the district administration and the state government to resolve the grievance within two years. A committee formed by the administration and the Collector issued orders to the plant to release the pending benefits, but the petitioners allege these orders were not executed.

Collector Topno asserts that all required notices have been dispatched to the plant management and that the administration continues to work toward a settlement. The matter remains on the court's docket, with all parties expected to submit their arguments at the upcoming hearing.