Chhattisgarh high court overturns royalty fee on BALCO’s vanadium sludge

The Chhattisgarh High Court ruled that Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) is not liable to pay royalty on vanadium sludge. The court stated that vanadium sludge is a by-product of the aluminium extraction process, not a mineral. The court found that the Korba Collector’s order, which imposed an Rs 8.63 crore royalty on BALCO, was unsustainable.