📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. J
Health
Supreme Court reprimands Rajasthan over illegal mining in Jojari, Luni and Bandi rivers, warns of CBI probe
✍️ Amar Ujala · Rajasthan
🗓 27 Oct 2026, 01:31 PM
👁 12
The Supreme Court has sharply rebuked the Rajasthan government for permitting illegal mining and pollution in the Jojari, Luni and Bandi river systems, citing health risks to about two million residents and ordering a financial plan for treatment plants.
The apex court, hearing a petition on environmental degradation, expressed serious concern over illegal mining activities in the Jojari, Luni and Bandi river basins of Rajasthan. It noted that unregulated extraction and associated waste have contaminated water sources, posing a direct threat to the health of roughly two million inhabitants living along these rivers.
In its order, the court admonished the state government for failing to enforce existing mining regulations and for not providing adequate pollution‑control infrastructure. It directed the administration to submit a detailed financial blueprint for setting up treatment plants capable of restoring water quality in the affected stretches.
Further, the bench warned that any attempt to conceal or manipulate evidence could invite a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry. The Supreme Court emphasized that compliance will be monitored closely, and non‑implementation may attract punitive action.
The ruling underscores the judiciary's growing role in environmental governance and signals a tougher stance against illegal mining that jeopardises public health and ecological balance in the region.
In its order, the court admonished the state government for failing to enforce existing mining regulations and for not providing adequate pollution‑control infrastructure. It directed the administration to submit a detailed financial blueprint for setting up treatment plants capable of restoring water quality in the affected stretches.
Further, the bench warned that any attempt to conceal or manipulate evidence could invite a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry. The Supreme Court emphasized that compliance will be monitored closely, and non‑implementation may attract punitive action.
The ruling underscores the judiciary's growing role in environmental governance and signals a tougher stance against illegal mining that jeopardises public health and ecological balance in the region.