Supreme Court Stays Rajasthan Govt Decision To Denotify Areas In Chambal Sanctuary, Raises Concerns Over Illegal Sand Mining

The Supreme Court today stayed the notification by the Rajasthan Government, which de-notified 732 hectares of the National Chambal Sanctuary without taking prior approval of the Court. The bench expressed that the State "could not have done it on their own."

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was dealing with the suo motu case taken up over illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and the threat to endangered aquatic wildlife, including gharials.

Previously, the bench expressed an intention to hold officials of the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh vicariously liable for the destruction of wildlife habitats in the National Chambal Sanctuary area due to their "lethargy and inaction" in preventing illegal sand mining.

Justice Mehta took a stern view of the Rajasthan Government's recent circular, which denotified protection regions within 12 districts for allowing sand mining.

" They should have come to the Court for the denotification; they could not have done it on their own, that is illegal. State is in hot waters, hot waters of Chambal!"

He further highlighted that such illegal mining was causing a threat to the recently reconserved species of Gharials in the region

"Irrespective, we are not allowing the denotification of any land for protected species. Have you seen that location? Have you been to that location? Go and see how fragile it is. It is with great difficulty that they could be reconserved, the Gharials - they are now virtually on the verge of extinction, not only gharials, so many animals ....for whose facilitation? for the illegal mining?"

Senior Advocate Nikhil Goel, the amicus curiae in the matter, informed the bench that in a matter pending before the NGT, a report was filed by the joint committee of the government and forest officials. In the report, precise GPS coordinates in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were pointed out, where the illegal sand mining had been taking place since 2022. He added that the states are yet to file their affidavit before the NGT on the steps taken.

Goel further informed that while Madhya Pradesh has defined its eco-sensitive zones, Rajasthan has not done so to date.

Justice Mehta referred to certain videos on the transportation by the illegal miners: "There are videos that are literally terrifying. There are animals moving around, and earthmovers are taking out sand from the river, passing through the police stations and mining outpost."

Goel stressed that the mining mafia has a strong presence in the region, and several SDMs, police officials and forest officials were also killed in Rajasthan by the mafia.

Justice Mehta added that the state governments can easily use the provisions of preventive detention to deal with the mafia.

"The problem is, the state government has completely forgotten that there is a law called Prevention Detention..."

Justice Mehta explained that when the mafia was prevalent in Jaisalmer, once the preventive detention was directed, it came under control.

The bench granted 4 weeks to Madhya Pradesh to file its affidavits in the matter. The bench also requested the counsel of the Ministry of Environment and Forest to take instructions and inform the bench in the next hearing.

" In the meantime, the de-notification dated 23rd December 2025 issued by the state of Rajasthan, notified on of March 9, 2026 under S.18 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, shall remain stayed."

The Court also transferred to itself the illegal land mining matter of 2022 pending before the NGT.

The bench will now hear the matter on May 11.

Case Title: IN RE: ILLEGAL SAND MINING IN THE NATIONAL CHAMBAL SANCTUARY AND THREAT TO ENDANGERED AQUATIC WILDLIFE Versus, SMW(C) No. 2/2026