Jaipur: The Supreme Court on Wednesday took cognisance of the death of 40-year-old forest ranger Pratap Singh Chundawat, who was allegedly run over by a dumper truck while attempting to stop illegal mining in the Choti Sadri area of Pratapgarh district, and directed the state of Rajasthan to file its response. The matter was listed for hearing on October 6, 2026.
Bench flags urgent concern over frontline safety
A Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta treated the case as urgent after it was placed before the court by senior advocate Nikhil Goel, who is assisting the Supreme Court as amicus curiae in the suo motu proceedings on illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary. The bench directed Rajasthan to file a response and indicated a full hearing would follow in October.
According to police and forest department information submitted in court, Chundawat was on a Royal Enfield motorcycle and, responding to inputs about illegal excavation near a pond, reached the site along with a forest guard late on Monday. He allegedly tried to stop a dumper carrying soil when the vehicle struck and dragged him for several metres. The ranger died of injuries on Tuesday after being admitted to hospital.
“Preventive detention should be used in such incidents,”
The court, while listing the matter, observed that preventive detention may be necessary in such cases. The remark echoes a July 22 order in the same suo motu matter in which the apex court asked Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to consider preventive detention against kingpins and habitual offenders involved in organised illegal sand mining.
State response and law-enforcement steps
Additional Advocate General Shiv Mangal Sharma, representing the state, told the court the incident had no link with the National Chambal Sanctuary and was not a case of illegal sand mining as defined in the ongoing proceedings. Sharma informed the Bench that he had spoken to the Director General of Police and that action had already been initiated; a detailed action-taken report was to be filed with the court.
The matter was brought to the Bench’s attention by Mr Goel, who said a copy of a news report had already been provided to the Additional Advocate General. The court has been issuing a series of directions to the three states since it took suo motu cognisance of rampant illegal mining and its ecological and law-and-order consequences.
Context: the Sanctuary and earlier directions
The National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, a tri-state protected area, spans approximately 5,400 sq km across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and is home to species such as the endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle and the Ganges river dolphin. In late May and July the Supreme Court directed the states to step up field-level enforcement, plug regulatory gaps and pursue networks facilitating illegal mining operations.
- Augmented surveillance and check posts along vulnerable stretches
- Prosecution of organised illegal-mining networks and seizure of vehicles and machinery
- Recruitment and augmentation of frontline forest staff, including filling vacancies of forest guards
- Consideration of preventive detention for repeat offenders and kingpins
Local enforcement and operational details
Forest and police officials said the dumper was allegedly carrying soil removed from forest land near a pond by a JCB excavator. The department described Chundawat as a decorated officer who had been acting on inputs about illegal excavation. The police case indicates the dumper driver fled the scene after the collision; investigations are under way and the state has been asked to furnish details of steps taken.
| Event | Date / Detail |
|---|---|
| Incident | Late Monday, Choti Sadri forest area, Pratapgarh district — Chundawat struck and dragged by dumper |
| Death | Died in hospital on Tuesday |
| Supreme Court action | Directed Rajasthan to file response; listed for hearing on October 6, 2026 |
| Earlier judicial direction | July 22 order asking states to consider preventive detention for offenders |
Implications for forest protection and frontline safety
The incident underscores long-standing concerns raised by the apex court about threats to forest personnel engaged in anti-mining operations. The court’s directions have stressed not only environmental protection but also the safety and security of enforcement staff, and asked states to take coordinated action against the organised networks that profit from illegal extraction.
As the case moves back to the Supreme Court next month, the state has been ordered to reply on measures taken and proposed to prevent recurrence, including arrests, seizure of machinery and steps to strengthen protection for forest officials carrying out enforcement duties in remote areas.
The Pratapgarh district administration and police have not yet released a comprehensive action-taken note to the public; the court-directed filing is expected to set out investigative steps and any disciplinary or criminal measures initiated so far.
Further hearings on October 6 will show whether the Bench seeks immediate additional measures to shield frontline staff and to fast-track prosecution of those alleged to be running organised illegal-mining activities in and around protected stretches of Rajasthan.
