In Brief
- Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury heard PIL/49/2026.
- Petitioners say sand is being taken from the Kapili in Morigaon in the name of dredging.
- Villages and schools named along the bank include Garubandha, Dankunda, Thengbangha and Diparang Bazar.
- Forest Department standing counsel sought time; the affidavit is due by 24 September 2026.
The Gauhati High Court has told Assam's Forest Department to file an affidavit by 24 September 2026 on a public interest petition alleging illegal sand extraction from the Kapili river in Morigaon, carried out in the name of dredging.
Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury were hearing PIL/49/2026. Counsel for the petitioner said the case was brought to protect people living along the Kapili, including Garubandha Gaon, Dankunda Gaon, Thengbangha Kali Mandir Gaon and Diparang Bazar Gaon. The petition alleges continuous sand lifting has caused severe bank erosion and now threatens houses, schools, religious sites, farmland and markets.
The writ traces official paper from a November 2025 one-season dredging nod through an April 2026 no-objection certificate and May 2026 moves to extend work to 27 July 2027. The petitioner's case is that those extensions were given without a notice inviting tender and without environmental safeguards. None of that has been tested in evidence yet.
The Forest Department's standing counsel asked for time. The bench said the affidavit must come by the next date.
Source: The Sentinel
