Supreme Court adjourns state iron ore ban hearing

The Supreme Court of India has adjourned until the second week of February a hearing on a petition seeking to lift a ban on iron ore exports from Karnataka, a court order showed on Thursday.

The state had banned iron ore exports from 10 ports and stopped its movement to other ports for exports in July, citing a drive against illegal mining and the need to preserve the raw material for local use.

The Karnataka High Court had rejected an appeal made by iron ore miners and exporters, including miner MSPL, following which the miner had filed a petition at the Supreme Court last November.

India is the world's third-largest iron ore supplier, with about a quarter of its more than 100 million tonnes of exports originating from Karnataka.