The Meghalaya government has appointed retired High Court judge Justice R.S. Chauhan to head a three-member judicial commission to investigate the February 5 blast at an illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district that killed 31 people. The commission was notified on February 14 and will probe the causes of the explosion and assign accountability.
The panel has been constituted under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, and has been asked to examine whether any constitutional exemptions to central mining laws applied in this case. Its terms of reference include identifying acts of omission or commission by authorities and determining whether administrative lapses contributed to the disaster.
Retired IPS officer H. Nongpluh and former IAS officer P.S. Dkhar are the other members of the commission. Justice Chauhan has previously served as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court and the Telangana High Court.
The commission will carry out a comprehensive fact-finding inquiry into the blast at the illegal mine in the remote Thangsku area of Mynsngat village. It has been directed to submit its report, with findings and recommendations, to the state government within six months of the February 14 notification.
Beyond establishing responsibility for the explosion, the panel must study the root causes of illegal coal mining in Meghalaya and assess the working conditions of labourers dependent on the industry. It will also recommend remedial measures, administrative reforms and financial rehabilitation schemes for those affected by the National Green Tribunal’s 2014 ban on coal mining.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma had announced the judicial inquiry on February 9. In a separate notification, the government transferred East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar and posted him as head of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force; ANTF chief P.K. Rasgania will assume charge as the new Superintendent of Police, East Jaintia Hills.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/meghalaya/story/retired-hc-judge-to-head-judicial-probe-into-meghalaya-coal-mine-blast-1346486-2026-02-15?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-02-15 15:50:00
