Hearing to determine trial venue for Zambian pollution case

Lawyers for Vedanta Resources have told Britain’s Supreme Court that a case raised against the mining company by nearly 2 000 Zambian villagers should be heard in Zambia, not London. Business Day reports that India-listed Vedanta, which delisted from London in 2018 but retains a legal base in Britain, is appealing against a lower court ruling that a case in which villagers claimed their land was polluted by a Vedanta operation could be heard in the UK. In 2017, London’s Court of Appeal had found that 1 826 Zambian citizens living in the Copperbelt region had the right to sue Vedanta in the British courts. Vedanta is challenging this. The hearing is being watched by other multinational companies with a base in London and facing legal challenges about their operations abroad from local residents. Britain’s highest court is not expected to deliver a judgment for several weeks.