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yesterday

Supreme Court Puts Aravalli Definition On Hold, Orders Fresh Expert Review

The bench flagged risks that the 100‑metre/500‑metre thresholds could shrink protection, setting a 21 January hearing under interim curbs on mining.

Referring to the long-running environmental litigation in TN Godavarman Thirumulpad case, the Supreme Court delivered a 29-page judgement in the suo motu matter.
The Aravalli hills act as a vast, fractured rock sponge that captures monsoon rain and recharges groundwater aquifers. (HT Archive)
The two-billion-year-old Aravallis, the country’s oldest fold-mountain range, act as a natural boundary to the Thar desert and protect Delhi and its neighbourhood from desertification, serve as a natural water recharge facility, and provide biodiversity-rich green cover in an otherwise arid region. (ANI)
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Overview

  • Led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, a three‑judge vacation bench kept its 20 November order and the MoEF&CC committee’s recommendations in abeyance and issued notices to the Centre and the Aravalli states.
  • The court proposed a high‑powered expert panel to reassess earlier reports, identify areas that would be excluded by the height‑and‑gap criteria, and evaluate ecological continuity and mining in inter‑hill spaces.
  • Until further orders, no mining permission is to be granted in areas defined as Aravalli Hills and Ranges in the 2010 FSI report without the Supreme Court’s prior approval, with the next hearing on 21 January 2026.
  • The Environment Ministry has told states not to grant new mining leases across the Aravalli landscape, and the Union environment minister said a complete ban on new leases or renewals remains in force.
  • The court recorded widespread concerns that the 100‑metre rule could narrow protection, noting claims such as only 1,048 of 12,081 Rajasthan hills meeting the threshold and calling for a scientifically robust review.