The bench directed Neeri to inspect the plant and submit a report to the court before February 15 regarding the extent of emission of sulphuric gasses from the plant.

The judges posted the case for February 22. The bench had reserved its orders on December 18.

On November 23, the green bench of the court, comprising chief justice MS Liberhan and justice E Padmanabhan hadordered the plant's closure following Neeri's report.

A gas leak, allegedly from the plant on June 5, 1997, had resulted in 90 women workers fainting in a nearby cut-flower plant, while a blast in a rotary holding furnace on August 31, 1997, claimed two lives.

Last month, a leak in a sulphuric acid pipe had caused burns to five workers. During the course of arguments, MDMK leader Vaiko, who challenged the clearance accorded to the company in 1994 to establish the plant, had accused the centre and the Tamil Nadu government of colluding with Sterlite by giving illegal clearance for setting up the copper smelter plant.He had said a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe would reveal details of this 'clandestine collusion'. In its counter-response to Neeri's report, Sterlite had alleged that the report was 'biased and suffered from clean errors on the basis of records'. V Prakash, counsel for the National Trust for Clean Environment, another petitioner, had contended that the plant was polluting thewater, air and soil in the area.