Title: Mining Activities and Land Rights of Indigenous People in India: an Analysis
Título: Actividades mineras y derechos terrestres de los pueblos indígenas en La India: una perspectiva jurídica
Author: Ms. Neha Tripathi, Assistant Professor of Law, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. ORCID: 0000-0001-5299-7031. Email: nehatripathi.kls@gmail.com
Author: Dr. Aditi Nidhi, Assistant Professor of Law, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. ORCID: 0000-0002-3141-9635. Email: aditinidhirmlnlu@gmail.com
Author: Dr. J. Lakshmi Charan, Assistant Professor of Law, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. ORCID: 0000-0001-5299-7031. Email: lakshmicharan038@gmail.com
Author: Bangaru Laxmi Jasti, Assistant Professor of Law, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. ORCID: 0009-0005-1826-7525. Email: bangaru.lakshmi4@gmail.com
Fecha de recepción: 07/04/2025
Fecha de aceptación: 14/05/2025
Fecha de modificación: 22/05/2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56398/ajacieda.00422
Documento completo: “Mining Activities and Land Rights of Indigenous People in India: an Analysis”
Abstract:
This research provides an understanding of mining law as it pertains to indigenous land rights in India, interrogating the efficacy of statutory and judicial mechanisms in safeguarding community interests. By surveying the existing national and international framework, this paper identifies persistent gaps in procedural compliance, consent protocols, and equitable benefit allocation. A close examination of judicial pronouncements, illustrating remedies for unlawful displacement, degradation of customary rights, and failure to enforce environmental remediation, reveals an incremental yet uneven evolution of legal standards. Comparative insights drawn from Canadian and Australian legal frameworks underscore the necessity of robust consent requirements and legally enforceable impact-benefit agreements. The analysis demonstrates that inadequate operationalization of consultation mandates and weak sanctioning of environmental breaches undermine the protective intent of existing laws. To rectify these deficiencies, the paper advocates for a unified legislative instrument that mandates transparent consent procedures, integrates rigorous environmental impact criteria into mining permits, and establishes clear fiduciary obligations for state and private actors. Aligning mining governance with principles of justice, equity and sustainable development would fortify judicial approach and oversight creating binding obligations for benefit-sharing and land restoration. The research suggests a coherent legal architecture for mining regulation in pluralistic societies by aiming to reconcile development imperatives with the requirement of preserving indigenous livelihoods and cultural heritage.
Resumen:
Esta investigación proporciona una comprensión de la legislación minera en relación con los derechos territoriales indígenas en la India, cuestionando la eficacia de los mecanismos legales y judiciales para salvaguardar los intereses comunitarios. Mediante un análisis del marco nacional e internacional existente, este documento identifica deficiencias persistentes en el cumplimiento procesal, los protocolos de consentimiento y la asignación equitativa de beneficios. Un análisis minucioso de los pronunciamientos judiciales, que ilustran las soluciones para el desplazamiento ilegal, la degradación de los derechos consuetudinarios y la falta de aplicación de la remediación ambiental, revela una evolución gradual, aunque desigual, de las normas jurídicas. Las perspectivas comparativas extraídas de los marcos jurídicos canadiense y australiano subrayan la necesidad de requisitos de consentimiento sólidos y acuerdos de impacto-beneficio legalmente vinculantes. El análisis demuestra que la inadecuada aplicación de los mandatos de consulta y la escasa sanción de las infracciones ambientales socavan la intención protectora de las leyes vigentes. Para subsanar estas deficiencias, el documento aboga por un instrumento legislativo unificado que exija procedimientos de consentimiento transparentes, integre criterios rigurosos de impacto ambiental en los permisos mineros y establezca obligaciones fiduciarias claras para los actores estatales y privados. Alinear la gobernanza minera con los principios de justicia, equidad y desarrollo sostenible fortalecería el enfoque y la supervisión judicial, creando obligaciones vinculantes para la distribución de beneficios y la restauración de tierras. La investigación sugiere una arquitectura jurídica coherente para la regulación minera en sociedades pluralistas, buscando conciliar los imperativos del desarrollo con la necesidad de preservar los medios de vida y el patrimonio cultural indígenas.
Keywords: Mining. Human Rights. Sustainability. Indigenous Community. Environmental Degradation.
Palabras clave: Minería. Derechos Humanos. Sostenibilidad. Comunidad Indígena. Degradación Ambiental.
Index:
1. Introduction
2. Definition of Indigenous people
3. International Efforts undertaken to recognise the rights of Indigenous people
4. Right to Self-determination and Indigenous People
4.1. Rights of Indigenous People and Mining in India
4.2. Case-Studies from India
4.3. Distributional versus Procedural Equity
5. Comparative Analysis of Indigenous Rights and Mining Regulations
6. Conclusion
7. Bibliography
Índice:
1. Introducción
2. Definición de pueblos indígenas
3. Esfuerzos internacionales para reconocer los derechos de los pueblos indígenas
4. Derecho a la autodeterminación y los pueblos indígenas
4.1. Derechos de los pueblos indígenas y minería en la India
4.2. Estudios de caso de la India
4.3. Equidad distributiva versus equidad procesal
5. Análisis comparativo de los derechos indígenas y la normativa minera
6. Conclusiones
7. Bibliografía
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