As per case facts The State issued an e-auction notice for sand mining after the last District Survey Report DSR had expired relying on a draft DSR that was later ... approved The National Green Tribunal NGT quashed the auction and subsequent grants of interest LOIs because the auction was conducted without a valid and subsisting final DSR The State and LOI holders appealed to the Supreme Court The question arose whether an auction for sand mining could be legally conducted based on a mere 'draft DSR' in the absence of a final valid and subsisting DSR in accordance with regulatory mandates and prior judicial pronouncements Finally The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal unequivocally upholding the NGT's decision It held that a valid and subsisting DSR is a mandatory non-negotiable condition precedent for granting environmental clearance and forming the basis of an auction for sand mining and a 'draft DSR' is legally untenable for this purpose