Tamil Nadu Government Challenges ED-Backed IIT-Kanpur Sand Mining Survey Before Madras High Court

The Tamil Nadu government has mounted a strong legal challenge against a sand mining survey allegedly conducted by scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur at the behest of the Directorate of Enforcement, terming the exercise illegal and beyond the institute’s jurisdiction. In a detailed status report filed before the Madras High Court, the State asserted that the survey lacked statutory backing and failed to comply with established legal procedures.

According to official sources, the survey was undertaken as part of the ED’s probe into alleged large-scale irregularities in sand mining across riverbeds in Tamil Nadu. IIT-Kanpur was tasked with assessing the quantity of sand mined at 28 permitted locations during October and November 2023. Based on this report, the ED alleged mining beyond permissible limits and estimated excess extraction worth ₹4,730 crore over several years, compared with recorded State revenue of ₹36.45 crore.

Seeking to counter these findings, the State government wrote to IIT-Kanpur seeking clarity on the credentials of the scientists involved and the authority under which the survey was conducted. The Additional Chief Secretary, Water Resources Department, also sought confirmation on whether Professor Rajiv Sinha, who led and certified the report, had official approval to carry out the fieldwork in Tamil Nadu.

In its response, IIT-Kanpur reportedly stated that Prof. Sinha had not been granted leave during the period when the survey was said to have been conducted. Under the institute’s conduct rules, employees are not permitted to leave their station without prior approval, even while on leave. The State argued that this raised serious doubts about the physical conduct of the survey, claiming the report was prepared without an on-ground assessment.

The government further alleged that the survey was actually executed by Terraqua Private Limited, a company founded by Prof. Sinha and incubated at IIT-Kanpur. It questioned why the ED bypassed local expertise, including IIT-Madras, and instead engaged a private entity operating outside its designated zone under the IIT Act, 1961.

Additionally, the State flagged alleged violations of the Drone Rules, 2021, stating that unmanned aerial surveys were conducted without mandatory permissions from aviation and district authorities. On these grounds, the government maintained that the survey report had no legal validity and could not be relied upon for enforcement action.