Supreme court to examine mining dispute

Jaipur: The Supreme Court will examine Rajasthan High Court’s Jan 20, 2026 order cancelling 93 sand mining leases in Rajasthan, and has ordered an immediate halt to mining operations by lease holders and Letter Of Intent (LOI) holders.

A bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma Wednesday issued notice on the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the Rajasthan govt and other lease holders challenging the high court decision. The case is listed for the third week of July 2026.

Before the Supreme Court, the State argued that the high court “wrongly interpreted” the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) report and, on that basis, quashed 93 e-auction mining leases in Tonk, Bhilwara, Sawai Madhopur and Ajmer.

Rajasthan additional advocate general Shiv Mangal Sharma said, “The State submitted that all these leases were granted under the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and revised regulatory framework introduced in 2023. According to the govt, the revised framework incorporates environmental safeguards, replenishment studies, and District Survey Report (DSR) mechanisms.”

He added, “It was further contended before the apex court that the High Court had excessively expanded the scope of earlier orders passed by the Supreme Court and the CEC report by applying old conditions to the new regulatory regime. The govt maintained that the present 93 leases are entirely distinct from the earlier 82 Letter of Intent (LOI) matters.”

The State said the high court order has had “far-reaching consequences” for sand mining operations, revenue collection and public infrastructure projects across Rajasthan.

Attorney General for India R. Venkataramani and Sharma appeared for Rajasthan. Parties linked to the group that had moved Rajasthan High Court opposed the State’s SLP.