The Meghalaya High Court has directed the state government and its agencies to explain the disappearance of nearly 4,000 metric tonnes of illegally mined coal from depots in Rajaju and Diengngan villages. The coal had been officially recorded during earlier surveys.

A bench led by Justice HS Thangkhiew issued the directive during a hearing on Thursday, instructing authorities to identify the individuals or officials responsible for the missing coal, which had already been marked for necessary action.

The matter was flagged in the 31st interim report submitted by the Justice (Retd) BP Katakey Committee, which is monitoring coal mining and transportation in the state. The court has asked the government to submit a detailed affidavit on the issue.