Supreme Court Orders Uniform Bonded Labour Rehabilitation; NGT Acts on Riverbed Encroachment and Illegal Mining in Arunachal Pradesh
Supreme Court on bonded labour (order of 2 November 2026): A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Aparesh Kumar Singh told the Union government to make sure the revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of 14 May 2026 on bonded labour is followed in the same way in every state and Union Territory. The case was filed by Surendra Manjhi and others.
Fast timelines for rescue and help: Complaints should normally be checked within 24 hours, followed by quick rescue. A release certificate (the official paper that declares a person freed from bondage) should normally be issued within 24 hours of the decision, in one format accepted by all states. Immediate financial help must be paid within 7 days of the release certificate.
Duties of the Centre and states: The Centre must issue extra guidelines within 3 months in consultation with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and file a compliance affidavit within 4 months. States and UTs must comply within 6 months. District and sub-divisional vigilance committees must be working, district rehabilitation funds must be available, and the NAVJIVAN portal for tracking cases must work properly. The Centre must also decide on revising the rehabilitation scheme, including higher immediate help and interim support.
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar must jointly check, within one month, the money owed to 17 bonded labourers rescued from a brick kiln in Shahjahanpur (UP) on 28 February 2019, and pay any dues quickly.
National Green Tribunal on Arunachal rivers (order of 29 October 2026): The NGT directed Deputy Commissioners of all districts of Arunachal Pradesh to remove encroachments on riverbeds (including boundary walls and private bridges) on the Borum river and other rivers, after giving the people concerned a hearing, and to stop illegal earth mining along the rivers.
The NGT also said land possession certificates should be issued only after riverbanks are marked out. The mining department must prepare District Survey Reports for all districts and allow mining only after environmental clearance from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and consent from the State Pollution Control Board. The Chief Secretary must place rules before the state government to ban construction on riverbeds and regulate it on riverbanks.
Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976
Bonded labour is a system where a person must work for a lender because of a loan or a custom, and cannot leave. The worker gets little or no wage and cannot work elsewhere or move freely. The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 is the central law that bans this system, cancels such debts and makes forcing bonded labour a crime. It gives effect to Article 23 of the Constitution, which bans begar and all forms of forced labour.
The Court found that rescue, release certificates and payments differ widely between states. Its order sets fixed timelines, one release certificate format and working vigilance committees, so that the 1976 law and the rehabilitation scheme work the same way everywhere.
National Green Tribunal (NGT)
The National Green Tribunal is a special court-like body that hears environmental cases. It was set up in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010. Its job is to decide environmental cases quickly and with expert knowledge, and to give relief and compensation to people harmed by environmental damage.
The NGT used its powers to protect the Borum and other rivers of Arunachal Pradesh. It ordered removal of riverbed encroachments, a halt to illegal mining, and mining only under proper clearances, while asking officials to give a hearing before any demolition.
Sand Mining Regulation in India
Sand mining means taking sand, gravel and earth from riverbeds, riverbanks, floodplains, beaches and old river channels. Sand is a key material for concrete, roads and buildings, so demand is huge. In India, sand mining is controlled by state governments, using a central mining law, central environment rules and court orders. When it is done without permission or beyond safe limits, it is called illegal mining, and it can badly damage rivers.
The NGT's Arunachal order applies this framework directly. It asked the mining department to prepare District Survey Reports for all districts, to allow mining only after clearance from the SEIAA and consent from the State Pollution Control Board, and to stop illegal earth mining along the Borum and other rivers.
- Supreme Court bonded labour order: 2 November 2026; bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Aparesh Kumar Singh
- Revised bonded labour SOP dated 14 May 2026 to be applied uniformly
- Complaint verification: within 24 hours; release certificate: normally within 24 hours of the decision
- Immediate financial help: within 7 days of the release certificate
- Centre: supplementary guidelines in 3 months (with NHRC), compliance affidavit in 4 months; states/UTs: comply in 6 months
- 17 bonded labourers rescued from a Shahjahanpur brick kiln on 28 February 2019: UP and Bihar to verify dues in 1 month
- Rehabilitation scheme (2021): immediate help up to ₹30,000; rehabilitation help ₹1 lakh, ₹2 lakh or ₹3 lakh
- NGT order on Arunachal rivers: 29 October 2026; covers the Borum and other rivers
- Mining only after SEIAA environmental clearance and State Pollution Control Board consent; DSRs for all districts