New Delhi: The Supreme Court has taken suo motu notice of growing concerns surrounding the Aravalli Hills, particularly over how the ancient range is being defined for regulatory purposes and the potential environmental fallout linked to mining activities. The matter will be heard on an urgent basis on Monday.
The case, registered as In Re: Definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges and Ancillary Issues, is slated to come up before a Special Vacation Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.G. Masih on December 29.
The court’s intervention comes amid protests and criticism from environmental groups who argue that recent changes in how the Aravalli landscape is classified could open the door to mining and construction in ecologically sensitive zones across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Activists have warned that weakening protections in the region could accelerate desertification and severely impact groundwater recharge.
Earlier, the apex court had approved a scientific framework to bring uniformity in identifying Aravalli landforms, noting that inconsistent definitions adopted by different states had complicated regulation. To address this, a court-appointed committee was tasked with examining the issue and suggesting safeguards.
In its report submitted in October 2025, the committee proposed that any landform rising at least 100 metres above the surrounding terrain in designated Aravalli districts should be treated as part of the hills. It further defined an Aravalli range as a cluster of two or more such hills located within 500 metres of one another.
The recommendations were accepted by a Bench headed by then Chief Justice B.R. Gavai in November 2025. While doing so, the court chose not to impose a blanket ban on mining, observing that total prohibitions in the past had often fuelled illegal operations and criminal networks.
Instead, the Supreme Court directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to prepare a comprehensive Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the Aravalli region. The plan is intended to be based on geo-referenced ecological assessments and to clearly mark zones that are environmentally fragile, biodiversity-rich or critical for conservation.
Until the MPSM is finalised, the court allowed existing legal mining operations to continue under strict compliance with safeguards recommended by the Central Empowered Committee. Future mining, the court said, would be permitted only in areas identified as suitable under the sustainable mining framework.
Highlighting the ecological importance of the Aravallis, the court noted that the range supports extensive biodiversity, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves, wetlands and aquifers that feed major river systems. It stressed that any decision on mining must balance development needs with long-term environmental protection.
With the fresh suo motu proceedings, the Supreme Court is expected to closely examine whether the adopted definitions and regulatory mechanisms adequately safeguard one of India’s oldest and most ecologically significant mountain systems.
