Overview
- Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, hearing the case Monday, said Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh had failed to curb illegal mining or were acting in connivance.
- Evidence placed before the court said miners removed sand 25–50 feet below the bases of multiple bridge pillars, including eight flagged by the amicus, risking a collapse on a route used by thousands each day.
- The bench cited the killing of forest guard Harkesh Gurjar in Morena, who police say was run over by a sand-laden tractor-trolley, as proof that enforcement staff face lethal attacks.
- The Madhya Pradesh government, through ASG S V Raju, said a fact-finding committee will file a report within one week, while the court pushed measures such as high-resolution CCTV and GPS tracking of heavy machines.
- The court earlier stayed Rajasthan’s move to de-notify 732 hectares of the sanctuary, which spans three states and safeguards rare species like the gharial, the Ganges river dolphin, and the red-crowned roof turtle.