Rajasthan Admits Prima Facie Inaction On Illegal Mining Complaints In Dausa, Forms High-Level Committee After Supreme Court Warning

The Rajasthan government has told the Supreme Court that it has constituted a high-level committee to identify officials responsible for alleged inaction over illegal mining and stone crushing activities in Dausa district, after the Court warned that the Chief Secretary would have to personally appear if substantive action was not shown.The State has further admitted that, prima facie, no effective or substantive action appeared to have been taken by field-level authorities on complaints made by villagers regarding illegal mining and stone crushing. “as per the facts presently known and on a perusal of the record presently available, it does prima facie appear that no effective or substantive action was taken by the field authorities concerned for ascertaining the correctness of the complaints of illegal mining and stone-crushing made by the villagers of the area, including the sister of the Petitioner, at the relevant point of time”, the affidavit states.The compliance affidavit was filed after a bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice R Mahadevan, on May 8, 2026, expressed dissatisfaction with the State's response regarding complaints made by villagers of Kalwan village in Sikrai Tehsil against alleged illegal mining operations dating back to 2020.The proceedings arise out of a petition filed by Prakash, one of the villagers convicted in a 2021 violence case linked to protests against alleged illegal mining, encroachments and pollution caused by stone crushing units. The issue arose due to alleged illegal blasting in the Aravalli range passing through the village and stone crushing units allegedly operating outside the lease granted to them.On February 12, 2026, the Supreme Court suspended Prakash's sentence in the criminal case while observing that the incident appeared to be the direct result of total inaction by the concerned Authorities who allegedly failed to check illegal mining and stone crushing activities despite repeated complaints from villagers. The petitioner subsequently filed documents before the Court alleging that several stone crushing units had encroached upon Panchayat land, forest land and grazing land, and that villagers had repeatedly complained about illegal blasting, dust pollution, road damage, cracks in houses and schools, and silicosis among residents.On May 8, 2026, the Supreme Court observed that serious discrepancies relating to mining activities had been pointed out to authorities by the petitioner's sister as far back as 2020, but the State's affidavit still did not disclose any action taken on the complaints.Granting one last opportunity to the State, the Court directed that if no affidavit showing substantive action was filed before the next hearing on May 11, 2026, the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan would have to remain personally present with a show-cause explanation as to why action should not be taken for “turning a blind eye to such a serious matter.”In its compliance affidavit filed on May 9, 2026, the State has said that before the present Supreme Court case, the issue at the field level had not been brought to the notice of senior authorities through any institutional channel, and has claimed that immediate corrective measures were initiated after the Supreme Court's order. “The senior administrative leadership of the Respondent — State has at no stage condoned, and shall never condone, any inaction in matters of illegal mining, which is rightly recognised as an offence striking at the very root of the rule of law and the public exchequer”, the affidavit states.It has informed the Court that a High-Level Committee was constituted within 24 hours under a government order dated May 9, 2026. According to the affidavit, the committee comprises the Divisional Commissioner as chairperson, a representative nominated by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Mines and Petroleum Department, and the District Collector as member-secretary. The committee has been tasked with identifying officers responsible for alleged inaction, recommending departmental or other action against them, and suggesting institutional measures to curb illegal mining and stone crushing activities in the area.The State told the Court that the committee has been directed to submit its report within one month and assured that action would be taken against erring officers in accordance with law.“That the concerned authorities further assure this Hon'ble Court that they shall personally monitor the entire matter, including functioning of the aforesaid Committee, compliance of directions issued by this Hon'ble Court and all consequential action required to be taken pursuant to concerns expressed by this Hon'ble Court from time to time”, the affidavit states.The SLP has been filed through Advocate on Record Namit Saxena.Case no. – Special Leave to Appeal (Crl.) No. 18005/2025Case Title – Prakash v. State of Rajasthan

Rajasthan Admits Prima Facie Inaction On Illegal Mining Complaints In Dausa, Forms High-Level Committee After Supreme Court Warning

Amisha Shrivastava

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Rajasthan Admits Prima Facie Inaction On Illegal Mining Complaints In Dausa, Forms High-Level Committee After Supreme Court Warning

Amisha Shrivastava

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