New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday, April 17, 2026, issued a stern directive to the governments of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, ordering the immediate installation of high-resolution, Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along routes used for illegal sand mining. A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta lambasted the three states for their “utter failure” to protect the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, stating that rampant mining has created an “environmental crisis” and wreaked “havoc” on the sensitive ecosystem. The court mandated that the live feed from these cameras be placed under the direct supervision of the local Superintendent of Police (SP) and the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO).
The National Chambal Sanctuary is a critical 5,400-square-kilometre protected area and serves as the primary habitat for the endangered gharial (long-snouted crocodile), the red-crowned roof turtle, and the endangered Ganges river dolphin. The court observed that the very states that proposed the gharial preservation project are now failing in their obligation to foster and promote it. To deter violators, the bench directed the states to invoke stringent measures, including preventive detention laws, seizure of machinery, and confiscation of vehicles involved in mining activities.
This judicial intervention follows the court’s suo motu cognizance of news reports in March 2026 regarding the large-scale exploitation of the Chambal riverbed. Justice Mehta emphasized that these illegal activities pose a grave risk to biodiversity at the tri-point of the three states. The authorities have been ordered to submit progress reports and initiate prompt prosecution against offenders, with the next hearing scheduled for May 11, 2026. The ruling reinforces that animal welfare and ecological preservation must remain paramount over commercial interests in protected eco-reserves.
