The Supreme Court on Thursday (May 14, 2026) summoned senior bureaucrats from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh over rampant illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and the States’ “persistent inaction” in reining in the mining mafia. Spread across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary is India’s first and only tri-State riverine protected area.

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Vijay Bishnoi observed that the Rajasthan government had displayed a “wholly casual, indifferent, and indolent approach” towards complying with the court’s earlier directions aimed at halting the “irreversible environmental degradation” within the 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 Bench said.

It accordingly directed the Rajasthan Additional Chief Secretary (Home), along with the Principal Secretaries of the Mining and Geology, Finance, Forest, Environment and Climate Change, and Transport and Road Safety departments, to personally appear before the court on May 20 with individual affidavits detailing compliance with its earlier directions.

“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”, the Bench said.

The Bench further observed that while the Madhya Pradesh government had commenced the process of strengthening surveillance of vulnerable stretches and routes susceptible to illegal sand mining within the sanctuary, compliance remained at a “nascent stage” and “substantial measures” were yet to be operationalised on the ground.

It accordingly directed the Principal Secretary of Madhya Pradesh’s Transport and Road Safety Department to remain personally present before the court on May 20, along with a detailed affidavit specifically addressing the concerns flagged by the Bench.

The directions were issued in a suo motu proceeding initiated following news reports highlighting rampant illegal sand mining in the Chambal sanctuary spread across districts in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The court had earlier directed the States to deploy specialised round-the-clock patrolling teams equipped with modern weaponry and communication systems in vulnerable areas.

On Thursday, the Bench underscored that the affidavits to be filed by the senior bureaucrats must specifically disclose the measures undertaken to identify and curb the operation of unregistered and unidentified vehicles allegedly engaged in illegal mining and transportation activities.

The court further made it clear that it intended to enforce strict accountability by requiring the States to disclose the action initiated against erring officials and violators. It also directed the authorities to indicate a “definite timeline” within which the preventive measures earlier mandated by the court would be comprehensively implemented.

‘Erosion of the rule of law’

The Bench pointed out that these directions assumed even “greater significance” because several officials entrusted with enforcement duties had either lost their lives or sustained serious injuries while attempting to curb illegal sand mining. This, the court said, disclosed “a deeply disturbing state of affairs” and a “serious erosion of the rule of law”.

The judges also pointed out that in a large number of criminal cases registered in connection with such illegal operations, investigating agencies appeared to be confining prosecutions merely to vehicle drivers, while no meaningful effort was being made to identify and prosecute the “figures/masterminds” behind such organised criminal networks.

“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 Bench said.

NHAI impleaded

Earlier, amicus curiae senior advocate Nikhil Goel had apprised the Bench that illegal sand miners were excavating beneath the foundation pillars of a bridge over the Chambal river connecting Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Describing the revelations as “shocking”, the court had observed that they pointed to a “complete failure” of the State machinery.

In view of the concerns surrounding the structural integrity of the bridge, the court impleaded the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in the proceedings and sought its response on the safeguards proposed to protect the structure.

“The NHAI 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 Bench said.

The court also directed the NHAI to examine the feasibility of installing appropriate CCTV and surveillance infrastructure on and around the bridge to enable real-time monitoring of mining operations and vehicular movement.

The sanctuary serves as a crucial habitat and breeding ground for the critically endangered gharial, or fish-eating crocodile. It also hosts rich biodiversity, including marsh crocodile muggers, Gangetic river dolphins, smooth-coated otters, Indian skimmers, black-bellied terns, sarus cranes, black-necked storks, and several species of freshwater turtles, including the endangered red-crowned roof turtle.

The top court had previously reminded the three States, within whose tri-junction the sanctuary is located, that every act resulting in the destruction of wildlife habitat within a protected area would attract penal consequences under multiple environmental statutes, including the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.