'Casual Approach' : Supreme Court Summons Rajasthan Top Officials For Non-Compliance With Orders Against Illegal Mining In Chambal

The Supreme Court on Thursday (May 14) came down heavily on the Rajasthan Government for its failure to adhere to the Court's earlier directions regarding curbing illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary.

The Court directed several senior Rajasthan bureaucrats, including the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Principal Secretaries of Mining, Finance, Forest, and Transport Departments of Rajasthan, to remain personally present before the Court along with detailed compliance affidavits on the next date of hearing scheduled to take place on May 20, 2026.

Also, the Court expanded the scope of proceedings to include the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) after being informed that extensive illegal excavation was taking place dangerously close to, and even beneath, the pillars of a bridge on National Highway-44 at the Morena-Dholpur border.

Further, flagging the widespread use of tractors and trolleys without registration numbers in mining and transportation activities across Dholpur (Rajasthan) and Morena (Madhya Pradesh), terming it a blatant violation of the Motor Vehicles Act and Central Motor Vehicles Rules, the Court also directed the personal presence of the Principal Secretary, Transport Department, Madhya Pradesh, to address the issue of unregistered mining vehicles.

Background

A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta is currently seized of the suo motu proceedings concerning the large-scale illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary spread across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, a critical habitat for endangered species, including the gharial, Ganges river dolphin and red-crowned roof turtle.

Vide order dated April 17, 2026, directed the States of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh regarding the installation of high-resolution CCTV surveillance systems, implementation of GPS tracking mechanisms for the vehicles and machinery involved in mining operations and constitution of dedicated joint patrol teams comprising police and forest officials, establishment of coordinated monitoring and enforcement frameworks, initiation of seizure and confiscation proceedings against vehicles involved in illegal mining, and recovery of environmental compensation in accordance with the “Polluter Pays” principle.

The States were also directed to formulate a uniform inter-State Standard Operating Procedure for tackling illegal sand mining activities.

When the matter was called on for hearing on May 11, 20206, the Court was informed that the States of MP and UP have made substantial compliance with the Court's order and filed an affidavit regarding the same, however, the State of Rajasthan had failed to place on record any affidavit indicating the steps of compliance undertaken pursuant to the aforesaid orders.

Dissatisfied with the State of Rajasthan's casual conduct, the Court expressed serious displeasure at the manner in which the State has conducted itself in the present proceedings.

“In stark contrast to the steps reportedly undertaken by the States of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, we are compelled to express our serious displeasure at the manner in which the State of Rajasthan has conducted itself in the present proceedings.”, the court said.

“Despite pertinent directions issued by this Court vide orders dated 2nd April, 2026 and 17th April, 2026, the State of Rajasthan has failed to file any compliance affidavit till date…The conduct of the State reflects a wholly casual, indifferent, and indolent approach towards the grave issues prevailing in this matter, i.e., rampant illegal mining, irreversible environmental degradation, and destruction of protected wildlife habitats within the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary. Such persistent inaction, despite the grave concerns recorded and directions issued by this Court, demonstrates a disturbing lack of seriousness and intent on the part of the State machinery in addressing matters directly involving environmental governance, public safety, and the rule of law itself.”, the court observed.

Only one CCTV camera operationalised In Rajasthan despite identification of 40 vulnerable locations

“The report submitted by the Central Empowered Committee further discloses an abysmal state of compliance on the part of the State of Rajasthan and reveals complete lethargy in implementing even the core directions issued by this Court. The material placed before us indicates that despite identification of as many as 40 vulnerable locations, only a single CCTV camera has been installed; no control room or live monitoring mechanism has been established; the directions for GPS integration and real-time surveillance systems remain non-starters; joint patrol teams are still merely “under consideration”; the inter-State Standard Operating Procedure has not been prepared; and the proposed deployment of Rajasthan Armed Constabulary/Home Guards continues to remain at a preliminary stage.

The report further reveals that even out of 24 permanent check-posts reported to have been established, only four are equipped with surveillance facilities. The overall status of compliance by the State of Rajasthan has, thus, rightly been described by the Central Empowered Committee as being “largely at proposal/implementation stage”, which, in our considered view, reflects a shocking degree of administrative apathy and institutional paralysis in the face of continuing illegal mining activities carried out in an organized and brazen manner in protected forest conservation areas, resulting in grave ecological degradation and a complete failure to uphold the rule of law and the constitutional mandate of environmental protection.”, the court observed.

Drivers of the offending vehicles targeted without proceedings against the masterminds show deliberate inaction

The Court also took serious note of the continuing violence associated with illegal mining operations.

Recording that several enforcement officials had lost their lives or suffered serious injuries while attempting to curb illegal mining, the Bench observed that the situation reflected “a serious erosion of the rule of law in the affected regions.”

The Court expressed concern that investigating agencies were limiting prosecution only to vehicle drivers while failing to identify and prosecute the masterminds allegedly orchestrating and financing organized illegal mining operations.

“…in a large number of criminal cases registered in relation to illegal sand mining activities, the investigating agencies are confining the prosecution only to the drivers of the vehicles involved, while no meaningful investigation appears to be undertaken to identify and prosecute the very figures/masterminds who are orchestrating, financing, and controlling such organized criminal activities. Such a lackadaisical pattern of investigation cannot prima facie be viewed as a mere coincidence or inadvertent omission but raises serious concerns regarding deliberate inaction and possible connivance at various levels of the administrative and enforcement machinery.”, the court observed.

Resultantly, the Court passed the following directions:

"A. The Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department; the Principal Secretary, Department of Mining and Geology; the Principal Secretary, Finance Department; the Principal Secretary, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department; and the Principal Secretary, Transport and Road Safety Department, State of Rajasthan, are directed to remain personally present before this Court on the next date of hearing. The aforesaid officers shall also file comprehensive individual compliance affidavits placing on record the steps undertaken in furtherance of the directions issued by this Court vide orders dated 2nd April, 2026 and 17th April, 2026, as well as the present order, together with the timelines within which the remaining measures 13 proposed to be undertaken shall be fully implemented.

B. The Principal Secretary, Transport and Road Safety Department, State of Madhya Pradesh, is also directed to remain personally present before this Court on the next date of hearing along with a detailed affidavit specifically addressing the concerns noted hereinabove in paragraphs 9 and 10 of the present order. The affidavit shall, inter alia, disclose the enforcement measures undertaken to identify and prevent the operation of unregistered and unidentified vehicles involved in mining and transportation activities; the steps taken to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989; the action initiated against erring officials and violators, if any; and the further corrective and preventive measures proposed to be implemented within a definite timeline.

C. The National Highways Authority of India is directed to be impleaded as a party respondent in the present proceedings. The National Highways Authority of India shall file a detailed affidavit on or before the next date of hearing specifically indicating the measures undertaken or proposed to be undertaken for safeguarding the structural integrity and security of the afore-mentioned bridge in light of the continuing illegal mining activities in its vicinity. The affidavit shall also indicate as to why this Court should not direct the National Highways Authority of India to install appropriate CCTV surveillance and monitoring mechanisms on and around the said bridge so as to ensure effective real-time monitoring of illegal mining and transportation activities. The National Highways Authority of India having been impleaded as a party in the present proceedings, the Registry is directed to forthwith communicate a copy of this order as well as order dated 17th April, 2026 to the learned Standing Counsel representing the said Authority."

Cause Title: IN RE: ILLEGAL SAND MINING IN THE NATIONAL CHAMBAL SANCTUARY AND THREAT TO ENDANGERED AQUATIC WILDLIFE

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Appearance:

AMICUS CURIAE Mr. Nikhil Goel, Sr. Adv. Ms. Rupali Samuel, Adv.

For Respondent(s) :Mr. Shiv Mangal Sharma, A.A.G. Mr. Saurabh Rajpal, Adv. Ms. Arushi Rathore, Adv. Ms. Nidhi Jaswal, AOR Mr. Rohit K. Singh, AOR Mr. Pritam Bishwas, Adv. Mr. Yashveer Singh, Adv. Mr. Kartikey Bansal, Adv. Mr. Sharan Dev Singh Thakur, Sr. A.A.G. Ms. Ruchira Goel, AOR Mr. Sharanya, Adv. Ms. Rishika Rishabh, Adv. Ms. Ritika Rao, Adv. Ms. Ayushi Srivastava, Adv. Mr. S.V.Raju, A.S.G. Ms. Manisha T. Karia, A.A.G. Mr. D.S. Parmar, A.A.G. Mr. Harmeet Singh Ruprah, AOR Mr. Sarthak Raizada Ga, Adv. Mr. Kanishk Sharma, Adv. Mr. Karan Singh, Adv. Mr. Aryansh Shukla, Adv. Mr. Anil Kaushik, ASG Mr. Gaurav Arya, Adv. Mr. Pranjal Singh, Adv. Mr. Digvijay Dam, Adv. Mr. Rajat Rana, Adv. Mr. Sharan Dev Singh Thakur, Sr. A.A.G. Mr. Sudeep Kumar, AOR Mr. Abhishek Saket, Adv. Ms. Manisha, Adv. Ms. Rupali, Adv. Ms. Harshita Chawla, Adv. Mr. Rohit Kumar-I, AOR Ms. Akanksha Singh, Adv. Ms. Madhavi Diwan, Sr. Adv. Ms. Srishti Agnihotri, AOR Ms. Aishani Narain, Adv. Mr. D.P.Singh, Adv. Ms. Tara Elizabeth Kurien, Adv. Ms. Anchal Kanthed, Adv. Mr. Pradeep Misra, AOR Mr. Daleep Dhyani, Adv. Mr. Anupam Misra, Adv. Mr. Suraj Singh, Adv. Mr. Pritam Singh, Adv. Mr. Umesh Kumar Shukla, Adv. Mr. Ankit Bhatnagar, Adv. Mr. Ram Narayan Mohanty, Adv. Mr. Rakesh Kumar, Adv.