Bhubaneswar, Dec. 11 -- The Supreme Court has directed the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court to constitute a dedicated bench to hear matters in which recovery proceedings linked to illegal mining have been stalled due to interim orders.

The direction came during the hearing of a Miscellaneous Application concerning non-recovery of dues from mining leaseholders. It was despite the Supreme Court's landmark 2017 ruling, which mandated compensation from defaulting miners operating in Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Mayurbhanj districts.

Odisha's latest status report, filed on October 29, noted that recovery of more than Rs 2,700 crore remained pending, prompting the Court to reiterate its 'serious displeasure' over the pace of action.

The SC...