Vedanta tells top English court KCM pollution case should be heard in Zambia
Lawyers for Vedanta Resources told England’s Supreme Court on Tuesday that [the] case…should be heard in Zambia not London.
India-listed Vedanta, which delisted from London last year but maintains a legal base in Britain, is appealing a lower court ruling that a case in which villagers alleged their land was polluted by a Vedanta unit could be heard in England…
Vedanta’s legal team argued that Zambia was the “natural forum” for the case and said the parent company did not control operations in Zambia, which were governed by Zambian law…
London law firm Leigh Day has argued that the English courts were the only route for the villagers to achieve justice.
Vedanta’s barrister Charles Gibson QC…said that Vedanta only agreed to provide KCM advisory services as an independent contractor and that its management agreement showed Vedanta did not have capacity to control KCM…
Vedanta’s case will also likely be watched by miner BHP, which has said it will fight an English suit by Brazilians seeking damages over an environmental disaster caused when the Fundao dam that stored mining waste burst in 2015.
Outside the court, action group Foil Vedanta was among those protesting against what they allege is pollution by Vedanta
The case continues and A verdict is expected in April.