Senior advocate Nikhil Goel pointed out that some villages in the area were completely dependent on sand mining. File
India’s Supreme Court on Thursday (April 2, 2026) said the sand mining mafia, who carry “better weapons than the police” and kill those who stand in their way with impunity, are the “modern-day robbers” of Chambal.
The oral observations by Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta were in response to the Madhya Pradesh government’s oft-repeated contention that the sand miners who are dredging the Chamball rivers and devastating the fragile lotic ecosystem of the Chambal Gharial National Sanctuary are no slouch and have superior firepower.
“So, the state government has thrown in the towel. It is an extremely sad state of affairs if the state government is saying that we cannot defend our natural resources. Dacoities as we traditionally knew them are a thing of the past. Now they are modern day dacoits, these mining mafias,” Justice Mehta observed.
Judge Mehta said there were videos that were “literally terrifying”. “Animals can be seen moving around as the earthmoving machinery digs up the sand,” the judge said.
Amicus curiae, senior advocate Nikhil Goel, said at least 1,000 truckloads of sand were extracted from the region in a day. Trucks pass police stations and sand miners have better weapons.
“Look at the number of sub-divisional magistrates, police officers and forest officials killed by the mining mafia… But the state has forgotten that there is a law called preventive detention,” Justice Mehta said, adding that sand mining should be stopped completely.
The bench also stayed Rajasthan’s March 9 notification issued under the Wildlife Conservation Act, 1972, which changed the boundaries of the Chambal Gharial National Sanctuary and exempted 732 hectares of land on both sides of the Chambal river from restrictions. Justice Mehta said the notification was issued without following the legal parameters.
Mr. Goel pointed out that some villages in the area are completely dependent on sand mining. That there was no other way of making a living.
“The solution is simple. They would have to relocate. Lack of occupation does not mean we are allowing illegal mining from the river, especially when it is a protected species. The state is obliged to provide them occupation,” Justice Mehta said.
The court took suo motu cognizance of rampant illegal sand mining in the sanctuary.
He had earlier reminded the tri-junction states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, in whose triple junction the sanctuary is located, that any act of destruction of wildlife habitat in the protected area would attract offenses and penalties under multiple laws, including the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and the Environment Protection Act of 1986.
The Chambal Sanctuary is the home and nesting ground of the critically endangered gharials or edible fish crocodiles. Apart from gharials, the sanctuary is home to a rich biodiversity of marauding mud crocodiles, several species of freshwater turtles including the endangered red-crowned turtle, smooth-coated otters, river dolphins, Indian skimmer, black-bellied tern, sarus crane and black-necked stork.
The Chambal National Sanctuary is located in the great arc of the Chambal River and covers nearly 1,800 km across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is the first and only tri-state riverine protected area in India. About 600 of the 960 km stretch of the Chambal River has been declared as Chambal National Sanctuary by the three states in their respective territorial jurisdictions. The Chambal Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh was announced on 20 December 1978.
The case was scheduled for further hearing on May 11.
Published – 02 Apr 2026 19:53 IST
