The Supreme Court today refused to restrain coal companies, which were directed to wind up mining operations in six months after their coal block allocations were cancelled by it, from extracting coal during this period. A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu said, the apex court had granted six months' time to wind up their operations and the companies cannot be restrained from excavating coal during this period.

The court's observation came when advocate M L Sharma, on whose plea the apex court had earlier cancelled 214 out of 218 coal blocks allocation, submitted that the companies are extracting three to four times more coal per day as they have to wind up the operations within six months.

On 24th of the last month, the apex court had quashed the allocation of 214 coal blocks allocated since 1993. The apex court, in a landmark verdict in August, had said that licences to the blocks were illegal and arbitrary, and a transparent process for their bids was not followed.