The Madras High Court has mandated a comprehensive investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the extensive illegal mining of beach sand in Tamil Nadu’s coastal districts. This directive came after allegations surfaced that such activities have caused substantial financial losses estimated at ₹5,832 crore to the state exchequer and significant ecological damage.
Justices SM Subramaniam and M Jothiraman, presiding over a batch of petitions including a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL), have instructed the CBI to initiate criminal cases against those involved and form Special Investigation Teams (SITs) with qualified and integrity-driven officials to handle this investigation.
The court’s scrutiny revealed a pattern of misconduct involving the issuance of mining leases, transport permits, and the illegal inclusion of monazite—a valuable phosphate mineral—on the list of mined substances. The justices pointed out that there appears to be a collusion among political leaders, bureaucrats, and private mining entities which facilitated these illegal operations.
The bench remarked on the clear evidence of corruption and lack of oversight that allowed these activities to proliferate, impacting not only the state’s finances but also its coastal environment. The court has also directed that all related cases currently handled by Tamil Nadu Police be transferred to the CBI to ensure a thorough and effective investigation.
Moreover, the high economic stakes of the illegal mining and export activities prompted the court to involve multiple federal agencies including the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department, Customs and Excise Department, and Commercial Taxes Department to scrutinize all financial transactions of the companies engaged in this illicit trade.
In addition to the CBI probe, the Tamil Nadu government has been ordered to recover approximately ₹5,842 crore from the illegal miners as compensation for unpaid royalties and penalties associated with the unauthorized extraction of minerals like garnet, ilmenite, rutile, and zircon. The court has also mandated that all raw and semi-processed sand currently stored by private miners be turned over to Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL), a central government enterprise.
This court order responds to detailed reports by IAS officers Gangandeep Singh Bedi and Satyabrata Sahoo, as well as amicus curiae V Suresh, which confirmed the rampant illegal mining activities especially in Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, and Kanniyakumari districts. Between 2018 and 2022, private miners reportedly transported 1.6 million tonnes of beach sand minerals illegally, despite a ban on such transportation imposed since 2013.
