SC seeks Rajasthan report on forest ranger’s death amid Chambal illegal mining probe

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Rajasthan government to file a report on the death of a forest ranger who was allegedly dragged by a dumper while trying to stop it amid suspected illegal mining, as the court examined the continuing menace of illegal sand mining in the Chambal sanctuary.The Supreme Court sought a report from RajasthanThe court was informed by amicus curiae and senior advocate Nikhil Goel that forest ranger Pratap Singh Chundawat died on September 21 while attempting to flag down the dumper.A bench headed by justice Vikram Nath, also comprising justices AG Masih and Sandeep Mehta, treated the matter as urgent and sought details of the action taken following the incident. The matter will next be heard on October 6.Rajasthan Additional Advocate General Shiv Mangal Sharma, however, told the court that the incident had no connection with the Chambal sanctuary and was not a case of illegal sand mining. He said action had been taken and a detailed action taken report would be filed by the next date.Forest ranger Pratap Singh Chundawat was posted in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh district and was dragged by a dumper on the night of September 21 when he tried to flag down the vehicle, suspecting illegal mining, Goel said.According to the police, the dumper was involved in carrying soil dug illegally near a pond at the spot with a JCB machine. Sharma told the court that the incident had no connection with the Chambal sanctuary and was not a case of illegal sand mining. He added that action had been taken and a detailed action taken report would be filed by the next date. The court granted time for the state to file its response.The court had taken suo motu cognisance of illegal sand mining in Chambal Gharial Sanctuary and had issued a series of directions to the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, which share the sanctuary boundaries.The states were directed to increase surveillance, track illegal mining routes and provide protection to frontline forest staff. In its order passed on July 22, the court had directed the states to consider preventive detention against those who are the kingpins of organised gangs involved in illegal sand mining.On May 25, a report published by HT showed how, despite court orders, mining continued unabated near the Chambal river. The court took cognisance of the report, which found that the Chambal riverbank inside the sanctuary, once the nesting site for the critically endangered gharials and accounting for nearly 80–90% of the entire global wild gharial population, was found to be degraded, with deep pits pockmarking the floodplain landscape.The court had taken assistance from the expert body, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), in the matter. The CEC highlighted the issue of providing legal protection to forest officials who are required to confront the sand mafia, which possesses sophisticated weapons. The report said that Section 218(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) requires prior sanction to prosecute a public servant charged with an offence committed in the discharge of official duty. Noting that similar notifications extending protection to forest guards in Odisha and Assam have yielded positive results, the CEC recommended that the three states extend this protection to forest officers within three months.Senior advocate Nikhil Goel, assisting the court as amicus curiae along with advocate Rupali Samuel, had earlier pointed out that the pace at which sand from the Chambal river is being extracted will have disastrous consequences on the surrounding ecosystem and human habitations.Following the court’s monitoring, the CEC noted improvement on the ground but stressed the timely filling of vacancies of forest guards, sustained financial support for surveillance infrastructure, periodic technological upgrades, regular ecological monitoring, strict district-level accountability, continuous inter-state coordination and adequate legal protection for frontline forest personnel.