Retired HC judge to head judicial probe into Meghalaya coal mine blast

The Meghalaya government has appointed retired High Court judge Justice R.S. Chauhan to head a three-member judicial commission to probe the February 5 blast at an illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district that claimed 31 lives.
According to a notification issued on February 14, the panel has been constituted under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, and has been tasked with fixing accountability for the explosion and examining possible constitutional exemptions to central mining laws.
Retired IPS officer H. Nongpluh and former IAS officer P.S. Dkhar are the other members of the commission.
Justice Chauhan has previously served as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court and the Telangana High Court.
The commission will undertake a comprehensive fact-finding inquiry into the explosion at the illegal mine located in the remote Thangsku area of Mynsngat village. It has been directed to submit its report, along with findings and recommendations, to the State government within six months from the date of notification.
The panel has been mandated to identify any acts of omission or commission by authorities and examine whether administrative lapses contributed to the disaster. It will also study the underlying causes of illegal coal mining in Meghalaya and assess the working conditions of labourers dependent on the industry.
In addition, the commission will recommend remedial measures, administrative reforms and financial rehabilitation schemes for those affected by the National Green Tribunal’s 2014 ban on coal mining.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma had announced the judicial inquiry on February 9.
Meanwhile, the government has transferred East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar and posted him as head of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force. ANTF chief P.K. Rasgania will take over as the new SP of East Jaintia Hills, according to a separate notification.