JAIPUR: In a significant ruling, the Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday cancelled e-auction orders for 93 gravel mining leases across Bhilwara, Barmer, Tonk, and Sirohi districts. The court also sought clarification from the state government on how gravel mining will be carried out in the future and how mined areas will be reclaimed.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice S.P. Sharma and Justice Sangeeta Sharma passed the order while allowing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Dr. Brijmohan Sapoot Kala Sanskriti Seva Sansthan. The court observed that once a mining lease expires, mining activity in the area must remain prohibited for the next five years to allow natural replenishment.
The High Court directed the Rajasthan government to submit a detailed report specifying the locations of gravel mining and proposed reclamation measures once mining concludes. The report is to be submitted to the High Court and may also be placed before the Supreme Court in a pending matter if the state so chooses.
The PIL had argued that the state government conducted e-auctions in violation of Supreme Court directions and the recommendations of the Central Empowerment Committee (CEC). Senior advocates Kamalakar Sharma and Alankrita Sharma, representing the petitioner, pointed out that the 2021 CEC report mandated a five-year ban on mining operations after a lease ends, but the state allegedly subdivided old mining areas into smaller blocks of 12–100 hectares and re-auctioned them, resulting in continuous mining in the same regions for nearly a decade.
The petition further noted that Rajasthan lacks perennial rivers capable of full replenishment during the monsoon, and excessive gravel mining has harmed fish breeding grounds, deepened riverbeds, accelerated groundwater depletion, and left riverbanks increasingly barren.
During the proceedings, the High Court had set up a three-member official committee to examine the issue but rejected its report, stating it was based on erroneous conclusions.
Meanwhile, the state’s mining sector is closely watching the Supreme Court, which is set to resume hearings in the long-pending Aravalli mountain range case on Wednesday. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant is hearing the matter after taking note of recent developments. In an earlier hearing, the court stayed a rule that classified only hills rising 100 metres or more above ground level as part of the Aravalli range, a decision that had sparked widespread criticism across Rajasthan and north India.