Supreme Court Demands States' Response on Illegal Sand Mining

The Supreme Court has sought replies from Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh within six weeks concerning a plea for investigating illegal sand mining and terminating involved leases. A fine will be imposed for delayed responses. The plea highlights severe environmental damage and legal irregularities due to these activities.

The Supreme Court has directed Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh to respond within six weeks to a plea seeking an investigation into illegal sand mining and the termination of leases involved in the activities.

Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar of the bench stated that a fine of Rs 20,000 would be levied if the states fail to file counter affidavits within the specified timeframe.

Despite the fine being minimal compared to the value of alleged illegal sand mining, Justice Khanna noted it would coerce the states into compliance.

The matter is slated for a November hearing.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing petitioner M Alagarsamy, highlighted the ongoing issue since 2018 and criticized the states for not filing affidavits despite repeated notices. Bhushan emphasized the environmental damage caused by unchecked illegal sand mining, mentioning that only Punjab has submitted a response so far.

After considering these submissions, the bench specifically asked Tamil Nadu to address the allegations.

The plea, initiated on January 24, 2019, involves the Centre, CBI, and five states, addressing illegal sand mining across rivers and beaches, which allegedly causes substantial environmental degradation. It calls for mandatory environmental plans and clearance, prosecution of those involved, and termination of leases.

The plea further asserts that the illegal sand mining mafia operates with impunity, using arms and resulting in significant public revenue losses.

(With inputs from agencies.)