The Supreme Court held that any destruction of wildlife habitats in protected areas will invite strict penalties under multiple environmental laws. The Court also warned that officials may be held accountable for “lethargy and inaction” in stopping illegal activities like sand mining.
In a strong observation on environmental protection, the Supreme Court of India on Friday stated that any destruction of wildlife habitats inside protected areas will attract strict legal consequences under multiple environmental laws. The Court expressed serious concern over ongoing illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary, a critical habitat for several endangered aquatic species.
A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta made it clear that government officials from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh may also be held responsible if they fail to act against such illegal activities. The Court specifically noted that authorities could face legal consequences and be held “vicariously liable” if they are found to have enabled or ignored the damage caused to aquatic ecosystems due to unchecked mining.
The matter is being heard as part of a suo motu case initiated by the Supreme Court, focusing on the harmful impact of illegal sand mining on wildlife in the Chambal region. The National Chambal Sanctuary, spread across approximately 5,400 square kilometres, covers parts of three states and is considered one of India’s most important riverine ecosystems.
During the hearing, the Court issued notices to the governments of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, along with the Central Government. It also directed that notices be sent to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Central Empowered Committee, seeking their responses on the issue.
Highlighting the seriousness of environmental violations, the Bench observed,
“For the present, we may observe that every act of destruction of wildlife habitat in a protected area would attract offences and penalties under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, the Environment (Protection) Act, the Forest (Conservation) Act, the Biological Diversity Act and the Indian Forest Act as well as other applicable statutes …,”
the Bench noted.
The Court further stressed that negligence by officials cannot be ignored, adding that authorities from departments such as forest, mining, water resources, and police may face action due to “lethargy and inaction” in controlling illegal sand mining activities.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also known as the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is home to several endangered species, including the gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle, and the Ganges river dolphin. These species depend heavily on clean and undisturbed river habitats, which are now under threat due to continuous illegal mining operations.
The Bench also took note of reports pointing towards large-scale destruction of aquatic habitats within the sanctuary. It further referred to the de-notification of nearly 732 hectares of land in Rajasthan, which was carried out as part of a boundary rationalisation exercise, raising additional concerns about habitat protection.
The Court indicated that it will issue detailed directions after reviewing the responses from the concerned states and authorities. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on April 2.
Earlier, on March 13, the Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the issue, observing that even areas where endangered gharials were recently released have been affected by illegal sand mining, highlighting the urgency of immediate intervention to protect the fragile ecosystem.
This case is expected to play a crucial role in strengthening enforcement of environmental laws and ensuring accountability of officials responsible for safeguarding protected wildlife areas in India.
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