Aravalli definition row reaches Supreme Court again, Top court to hear matter on its own motion

Jaipur: The long-running debate over how the Aravalli range should be defined and protected has returned to the centre of national attention, with the Supreme Court of India taking suo motu cognisance of the issue. The court will hear the matter on Monday, amid growing protests against a new interpretation that limits Aravalli status only to hills rising 100 metres or more from ground level.

The case will be heard by a vacation bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih. The matter has been listed in the vacation court and is expected to involve both the Centre and the affected state governments.

Why the Court Has Stepped In

At the heart of the controversy is a recent acceptance by the apex court, in November, of recommendations made by a committee of the Union environment ministry. The committee proposed that only hills measuring 100 metres or more in height should be treated as part of the Aravalli range.

Environmental groups argue that this narrow definition reverses decades of judicial protection granted to the Aravallis under earlier landmark cases, including those related to forest conservation and environmental protection. Since the ruling, protests and objections have emerged across Rajasthan, Haryana and the Delhi-NCR region, where the Aravallis play a crucial ecological role.

With conflicting interpretations and public concern escalating, the Supreme Court has now decided to examine the issue on its own initiative.

Why the Aravalli Definition Matters

The Aravalli Range is one of the world’s oldest mountain systems and acts as a natural barrier against desertification while supporting groundwater recharge and biodiversity. Environmentalists warn that many ecologically sensitive hill formations within the Aravalli system are less than 100 metres high. If excluded from legal protection, these areas could become vulnerable to mining and construction.

Critics say that allowing mining or commercial activity on smaller hill formations could gradually dismantle the continuity of the range, leading to irreversible ecological damage.

The Centre, however, has maintained that the new definition does not dilute protection and that safeguards for the Aravallis remain intact. Officials have described public concerns as a misunderstanding of the policy intent.

Parallel Legal Challenge Already Underway

Adding another layer to the case, retired Haryana forest officer R.P. Balwan recently challenged the environment ministry committee’s recommendations before the Supreme Court. His plea was filed in the ongoing forest conservation matter that has guided Aravalli protection for decades.

On this petition, the court has already issued notices to the Union government, as well as the governments of Rajasthan and Haryana, and the environment ministry. That case is expected to be heard after the court’s winter recess.

Centre Orders Halt on New Mining Leases

In response to mounting criticism, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued directions last week placing a complete ban on the grant of new mining leases across the entire Aravalli range. The ministry clarified that no fresh mining permissions would be issued anywhere along the geological stretch of the Aravallis, including areas extending into the National Capital Region.

According to the ministry, the objective of the order is to preserve the Aravallis as a continuous geological formation and to prevent unregulated mining activity.

Opposition leaders, including former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, have argued that the ministry’s announcement merely reiterates existing Supreme Court directions and does not address the core concern raised by the new definition.