The
Supreme Court on Friday signalled that officials in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh
and Uttar Pradesh could be held ‘vicariously liable’ for damage to wildlife
habitats within the National Chambal Sanctuary, attributing the ongoing
destruction to administrative apathy in curbing illegal sand mining.
A
Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, hearing a suo motu matter
concerning unlawful mining activities and their impact on endangered aquatic
species such as ghariyals, indicated that a detailed examination would be done
after responses from the concerned states and departments are filed.
At
this stage, the Court underscored that any degradation of protected habitats
would invite penal consequences under a range of environmental and forest laws,
including the Wildlife Protection Act and the Environment Protection Act, among
others. In its order, the Court observed that officials from the forest,
mining, water resources, and police departments of the three states could be
held responsible for aiding the destruction by failing to act against illegal
mining operations. It noted that comprehensive directions would be issued after
considering the responses filed.
The
Registry was directed to implead multiple authorities, including the Principal
Secretaries of the three states, their Directors General of Police, senior
officials from the mining, forest, and water resources departments, as well as
the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The
Court also sought assistance from Senior Advocate Nikhil Goel and
Advocate-on-Record Rupali Samuel as amici curiae. It issued a notice to the
Centrally Empowered Committee operating under the Environment Protection Act.
The matter is scheduled for further hearing on April 2.
The
National Chambal Sanctuary, which stretches across parts of Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, is considered one of the last viable habitats for
the critically endangered ghariyal. The river system also supports other
threatened species, including the Gangetic dolphin and the Indian skimmer.