NGT Impleads Delhi Police Chief, 6 Other Officials in Yamuna Sand Mining Case
The National Green Tribunal has ordered further hearings in a case concerning sand mining along the Yamuna river and impleaded seven senior police and district administrative authorities as respondents, including the Delhi Police Commissioner and the District Magistrate of Outer North Delhi.
The green tribunal passed the order on August 11 during proceedings in a suo motu case that was initially initiated in November 2024 following media reports on illegal sand mining activities along the river.
According to the tribunal, arguments in the case had been heard previously and the final judgment had been reserved on May 8. However, following an examination of the material on record, the Bench determined that further hearings were necessary and decided to implead additional authorities to ensure proper adjudication of the matter.
The newly impleaded respondents include the Commissioner of Police of Delhi, the Commissioner of Police of Ghaziabad, the Commissioner of Police of Gautam Buddh Nagar, and the Senior Superintendent of Police of Baghpat. On the administrative side, the tribunal has impleaded the District Magistrate of Outer North Delhi, the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar, and the District Magistrate of Baghpat.
The tribunal has directed all the impleaded authorities to submit their formal responses at least one day prior to the next scheduled hearing on September 15.
The Bench highlighted that further examination is required on multiple key aspects of the case. These include the establishment of a joint task force by the Uttar Pradesh government, the regularity of quarterly meetings conducted by the task force, and the uploading of meeting minutes onto the official website.
The tribunal also noted the need to evaluate ongoing mining activities across the inter-state border area, joint patrolling efforts, and specific enforcement actions undertaken by the police departments to prevent illegal extraction. The Bench specifically sought details regarding the preventive actions taken on the ground by the police chiefs of Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and Baghpat.
