The Supreme Court on Monday refused to give an urgent hearing to a plea filed over alleged police atrocities during protests against the Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi last week.
The Supreme Court said, "We would hear it after the vacation."
Activists in Tamil Nadu had knocked the doors of the Supreme Court regarding arsenic and cadmium poisoning in groundwater in Thoothukudi due to the Sterlite plant.
On Sunday, fishermen from Thoothukudi demanded the closure of the Sterlite plant.
They alleged that chemical waste from the facility has affected water bodies near the area because of which their catch of fish has gone down.
People in Thoothukudi have been protesting against Sterlite for months. The protesters were demanding a ban, alleging the plant was polluting groundwater and causing various environmental hazards.
The protests took a violent turn on May 22 when police opened fire on the protesters, killing 13 people and leaving 102 injured so far; 67 people have been arrested for indulging in violence.