Ken River Sand Mining Case: Supreme Court To Examine Link With Chambal Gharial Sanctuary

The Supreme Court has directed the listing of a plea alleging widespread illegal sand mining in the Ken River, with the petitioner claiming that the activity is threatening the ecosystem surrounding the Panna Tiger Reserve and Ken Gharial Sanctuary. The matter has been directed to be heard alongside the court’s ongoing suo motu proceedings concerning the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary. The plea was filed by Bharat Milan Pandey, a resident of Panna, who alleged that illegal sand extraction was being carried out in the Ken River using excavators and sand-pulling pumps.

He claimed the mining was taking place openly despite the absence of any government-issued contract permitting sand mining in the area. The Ken is a major tributary of the Yamuna and is regarded as one of Madhya Pradesh’s relatively clean rivers. According to the petitioner, continued extraction of sand from the river could cause significant ecological damage, particularly to habitats linked to the Panna Tiger Reserve and the Ken Gharial Sanctuary. The plea has raised concerns over the impact of mining activity on the riverine ecosystem and wildlife dependent on it.

Pandey also alleged that he and members of his family faced legal cases after he complained to local authorities about the alleged illegal mining. He said he had submitted photographs documenting the activity while approaching officials in Panna. According to the plea, the Madhya Pradesh High Court subsequently granted him bail in the cases registered against him. The petitioner has sought directions from the Supreme Court similar to those issued in proceedings concerning the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary.

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He has argued that the alleged mining activities warrant judicial intervention because of their potential impact on protected areas and the broader river ecosystem. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, took up the plea on August 18. The bench directed that the matter be listed with the proceedings concerning the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, allowing the allegations relating to the Ken River to be considered in the context of the court’s existing environmental proceedings.

The Chambal matter is being heard by a separate bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath. The Supreme Court’s decision to link the Ken River plea with those proceedings could bring the concerns raised by the Panna resident into a broader judicial examination of illegal mining and its consequences for protected riverine habitats. The allegations made in the plea are yet to be adjudicated, and the listing of the matter does not amount to a finding by the Supreme Court that illegal mining has taken place. The case will now be considered by the court, which may examine the claims regarding mining activity, environmental damage and the alleged absence of authorised sand-mining contracts in the Ken River.

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