Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of illegal sand mining in National Chambal Sanctuary

The Supreme Court on Friday, March 13, 2026, took suo motu cognizance of illegal sand mining and threats to endangered aquatic life in the National Chambal Reserve.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said the court took note of recent newspaper reports highlighting widespread illegal mining in areas where the program to protect endangered gharial (long-nosed crocodile) species was ongoing.

The court said gharials, which are endangered due to illegal mining, should be relocated.

The bench said that even the areas where the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister had released gharials came under illegal mining.

“Refer the matter to the chief justice of India for necessary directions,” the Supreme Court ordered on record.

According to reports, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav released 10 gharials into the Chambal river at the sanctuary in Morena in February last year.

The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a three-State protected area of ​​5,400 square kilometres. Apart from the endangered gharial, it is also home to the red-crowned roof turtle and endangered Ganges river dolphins.

Located on the Chambal river near the tourist destination of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now forms a long, narrow eco-reserve jointly managed by the three states.