New Delhi, 09 April (H.S.):

The Supreme Court of India has agreed to urgently hear a petition concerning the brutal killing of a forest guard by sand mafia operatives in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, who allegedly ran him over with a tractor-trailer.

During Thursday's proceedings, a lawyer brought the matter before a bench presided over by Justice Vikram Nath, urging expedited consideration ahead of the court's scheduled suo motu cases on May 11. The bench promptly directed a hearing for April 13, signaling judicial resolve to address the escalating violence linked to illegal sand mining.

On April 2, the apex court had issued stern observations on the rampant illegal mining in the Chambal River, branding mining mafias as the new dacoits of the region. It highlighted their audacious attacks on police, forest officials, and administrators in Rajasthan, while staying a Rajasthan government notification attempting to de-notify 732 hectares of Chambal sanctuary land from protected status.

The court noted that even areas where the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister had released gharials for conservation now suffer unchecked sand extraction, underscoring the state government's failure to curb the menace. Justices warned authorities in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh that senior officials from forest, mining, water resources, and police departments would be held accountable if violations persist, and directed responses from these states alongside the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar