Overview
- Acting suo motu, a vacation bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant kept in abeyance its November 20 order that had accepted a MoEF&CC panel’s 100‑metre/500‑metre definition of the Aravallis, citing ambiguity and risks of misinterpretation enabling unregulated mining.
- The court proposed a high‑powered committee of domain experts to re‑examine ecological continuity, the scientific basis of the height threshold, gaps between hills, and parameters for any regulated mining, with the Attorney General and an amicus to assist on composition.
- It directed that both the earlier recommendations and related mapping exercises remain on hold and reiterated that no mining may proceed in areas defined by the 2010 FSI baseline without prior permission of the court.
- Notices were issued to the Union government and the Aravalli states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat, with the matter posted for hearing on January 21, 2026.
- Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav welcomed the pause and said the ban on granting or renewing mining leases continues, as protesters and experts contend the 100‑metre rule would exclude many lower yet ecologically significant hills.