The Gauhati High Court has admitted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking judicial intervention into the causes behind the devastating floods that hit Upper Assam in July 2026, resulting in significant loss of life and widespread damage to property.

The PIL has been filed by former Leader of the Opposition and former Nazira MLA Debabrata Saikia, who has raised concerns over factors allegedly contributing to the severity of the floods.

The Court has directed the Assam and Nagaland governments, along with other concerned authorities, to file detailed affidavits responding to the petition by November 3, 2026.

During the hearing, the Chief Justice observed that the concerns raised by Saikia appeared to be genuine. The Court also noted that the petitioner had been in communication with the Chief Justice and government authorities for nearly eight years regarding issues related to alleged illegal mining and the Dikhow River.

The floods in Assam, among the most severe witnessed in the State, claimed more than 100 lives and affected a large number of people.

Saikia's petition seeks an examination of the circumstances that allegedly contributed to the July floods. These include alleged illegal mining in the Dikhow riverbed, activities in catchment areas of neighbouring Nagaland and the release of water from upstream dams.

The petitioner has alleged that the impact of the floods was worsened by prolonged administrative inaction despite previous warnings and directions issued by the High Court.

According to the petition, the floods affected lakhs of people across Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat districts, while claiming more than 80 lives, although broader reports have put the overall death toll from the floods at over 100.

Saikia has also referred to two earlier PILs filed before the Gauhati High Court—PIL No. 78 of 2018 and PIL No. 62 of 2019—in which concerns were raised over alleged illegal and unscientific sand and stone mining in the Dikhow riverbed, particularly in areas adjoining the Assam-Nagaland border.

The PIL seeks several directions aimed at preventing a recurrence of the situation.

Among other reliefs, Saikia has sought an immediate and permanent halt to illegal mining in the Dikhow River and its tributaries, implementation of the directions issued by the High Court in the earlier proceedings, and the constitution of a high-powered monitoring committee headed by a retired judge.

The proceedings before the Gauhati High Court are now expected to examine whether environmental degradation, activities in upstream catchment areas, dam-water releases and alleged administrative lapses contributed to the scale of the July floods.

The Assam and Nagaland governments and other authorities will be required to place their detailed responses before the Court by November 3.