New Delhi: The Supreme Court has constituted a five-member High-Powered Committee (HPC) headed by Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) Director General Kanchan Devi to undertake a comprehensive review and define the Aravalli Hills and Ranges.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi ordered that the committee will be chaired ex officio by the ICFRE Director General. The court’s order, passed on May 25 and made public on Wednesday, seeks to address long-standing ambiguities surrounding the identification and protection of the Aravalli range.
Kanchan Devi, a 1991-batch Indian Forest Service officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, brings over three decades of experience in forestry research, wildlife conservation, forest policy and institutional leadership.
The committee’s other members include former Forest Survey of India Director General Dr Subhash Ashutosh, former Geological Survey of India Director Dr Rajendra Kumar Sharma, former Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Brij Mohan Singh Rathore, and former Delhi University Botany Department head Prof Ashok K. Bhatnagar.
The court also directed that Prof Jagdish Krishnaswamy of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements and Prof Laxmikant Sharma of the Central University of Haryana be associated with the committee as special invitees whenever required. An officer of the rank of Director in the Environment Ministry will serve as Member Secretary.
The HPC has been tasked with conducting a fair, independent and scientific review of the Centre’s report on the definition and delineation of the Aravalli range. It has been asked to address critical ambiguities and submit its report by August 31, 2026.
The Supreme Court emphasised that the committee must consider diverse and often competing interests while carrying out its assessment. It directed the panel to invite suggestions from all stakeholders through a public notice seeking representations and feedback from individuals and organisations affected by or interested in the issue.
The move follows concerns raised by environmentalists over a November 2025 Supreme Court ruling that approved an elevation-based definition of the Aravallis for mining regulation across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The court later kept that decision in abeyance in December 2025 after criticism that the criteria could leave large portions of the ancient mountain range without environmental protection.
The apex court observed that any assessment must take into account geology, biodiversity, flora, fauna, mineral resources and accurate geo-mapping of the region. It stressed that safeguarding the Aravalli ecosystem remains paramount and that future decisions should not contribute to ecological degradation.
The committee has also been granted the freedom to broaden the scope of its study if additional issues affecting the Aravalli ecosystem emerge during its deliberations.
