NGT Imposes Cost on Sonbhadra DM for Delayed Illegal Mining Probe Report
Pranav B Prem
The National Green Tribunal, Principal Bench, has expressed strong displeasure at the continued delay in submission of a court-mandated report concerning illegal mining in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, and has imposed a cost of ₹10,000 on the District Magistrate for failing to comply with repeated directions. The matter was heard on 13 November 2025 by Justice Prakash Shrivastava (Chairperson) and Dr. A. Senthil Vel (Expert Member).
The case arises from allegations of illegal excavation and midstream mining in the Sonbhadra region. On 23 April 2025, the Tribunal had constituted a Joint Committee comprising representatives of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Central Pollution Control Board, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, and the District Magistrate of Sonbhadra, who was designated as the nodal officer. The Committee was directed to visit the site, verify allegations of midstream mining, examine the status of environmental clearances, and submit a factual report within eight weeks, which meant the deadline expired on 23 June 2025.
However, no report was filed within the stipulated period. When the case was heard on 19 August 2025, it was reported that the Committee had conducted the inspection on 30 June 2025—more than two months after the Committee was constituted—and that the report was still under preparation. Counsel for the applicant objected to this delay, arguing that the late inspection facilitated the disappearance or wiping out of evidence of illegal mining. Taking note of this grievance, the Tribunal directed the District Magistrate to file an affidavit explaining the delay and granted an additional four weeks for submission of the report.
Despite these directions, the report did not appear on record for several months. During the hearing on 13 November 2025, counsel for the District Magistrate submitted that the report had been filed earlier that morning. The Tribunal observed that the repeated delays demonstrated a lack of promptness in complying with judicial orders, contributing to unnecessary prolonging of the proceedings.
In view of the continued non-compliance, the Tribunal imposed a cost of ₹10,000, to be deposited with the NGT Bar Association within one week. The Tribunal directed that the amount be used for improvement of the library and related facilities. It further ordered that, subject to payment of the cost, the reply of the District Magistrate and the Joint Committee report would be taken on record if defect-free.
The Tribunal granted all concerned parties four weeks to file objections to the Joint Committee report. It also directed that earlier interim orders would continue until the next hearing, thereby ensuring existing protections remain operative. The matter has been listed next for 28 January 2026 for further consideration.
The Tribunal has imposed a cost of ₹10,000 on the District Magistrate, Sonbhadra, for delays in filing the illegal mining inquiry report. The NGT has directed that the cost be deposited within one week, after which the DM’s response and the Joint Committee’s report will be taken on record. All parties may file objections within four weeks, and the matter will be heard again on 28 January 2026, with interim protections continuing until then.
Appearance
Applicant: Mr. Ashish Madaan, Adv. for Applicant
Respondent: Mr. Vivek Tankha, Senior Advocate with Mr. Gaurav Kumar Bansal, Ms. Nandita Bansal, Mr. Vipul Tiwari, Mr. Inder Dev Singh & Ms. Chandrika Upadhyay, Advs. for R - 11 Mr. Pradeep Misra & Daleep Dhyani, Advs. for UPPCB Mr. Mukesh Verma & Ms. Vatsala Tripathi, Advs. for DM, Sonbhadra Ms. Priyanka Swami, Adv. for SEIAA, UP
Cause Title: Pawan Kumar v. Union of India & Others
Case No: Original Application No. 169/2025
Coram: Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Chairperson, Dr. A. Senthil Vel, Expert Member
