The Supreme Court becomes Pro-People on Aravalli Hills and Ranges

By Joseph Maliakan

The Supreme Court on 29 December 2025 in an unprecedented but welcome move suo moto stayed its on  20 November order on the definition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges. The November ruling had accepted an elevation based definition proposed by the Union Goverment which caused widespread concern among the people of the affected States of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.

The 20 November order had to the consternation of the people of the four states and the environmental as well as legal experts had adopted a very narrow definition classifying only landforms with an elevation of 100 metres or more above local relief as ” Aravalli Hills ”

Following widespread protests across the four states irrespective of  party or caste affiliations the Supreme Court perhaps for the first time took note of public concerns  and acknowledged the need for clarification on whether the naarow definition ( 100 metres elevation ) would exclude ecologically fragile areas allowing unregulated mining as well as bilding construction in between the Aravalli Hills.

According to the  latest SC order a High Powered independent Committe consisting of experts in various fields is to be formed to redefine the Aravalli Hills considering all aspects of its ecological and environmental impact andress various ambiguities with regard to the Union laws and state laws for the protection and preservation of environmental and ecological balance essential for sustainable development .

The stay order means that no irreversible administrative or ecological actions can be taken by any authority including Union and state governments based on the framework upheld by the Supreme Court on 20 November.

Untill the matter is resolved there will be a moratorium on the grant of any new mining leases or renewal of old ones across the entire Aravalli landscape in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Existing legal.mining could be carried out only under strict regulations.

The 20 November 2025 judgement was aimed at laying down a uniform definition of the  740 kilometre long Aravalli Ranges across the states to curb rampant illegal.mining. It also directed the Ministry of Environment , Forest and Climare Change ( MoEF&CC ) to prepare a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining ( MPSM ) .

However, the narrow 100 metres hight criterion specified for the Aravalli Hills became the subject of widespread protests and criticism. The 100 metres height criterion would have rendered 90 percent of the small hills of the Aravalli Ranges and low lying areas without the protection of the environmental laws, which are ecologically essential for preventing further desertification and recharging ground water.

The SC had in its 20 Novenber order had simply without applying it’s mind accepted the recommendations of the Union Ministry of Environment , Forest and Climate Change on the definition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges to protect the world’s oldest mountain system.

The Committe had recommended that “Aravalli Hills ” be defined as any landform in designated Aravalli dtstricts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief , and an ” Aravalli Range” will be a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other. This narrow definition ecologists, environmentalists the affected ordinary people pointed out will open up lage areas of the ecologically fragile moutain ecosystem to mining and real estate development which have already caused irreparable damage .

The Union Goverment it was further pointed out made the new narrow definition of hills and ranges without any scientific and ecological studies or public consultation. Therefore if the new definition was accepted it will destroy large parts of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges through granite and sand mining and real estate development environmentalists argued.

According to eminent Environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari the manner in which illegal mining has been going on in the Aravallis is an administrative and governance failure.” The judicial intervention was much needed. It is a welcome step by the Supreme Court of India to stay its earlier order , but it is important that the committee which is going to be formed should have ecologists , environmentalists and not just bureaucrats “, shed added.

Neelam Ahluwalia of the ”  People for Aravalli ” , described the SC stay of its own order is interim win. ” What we actually demand is that the Union and state governments ban all mining in the Aravallis . We need a completely detailed , independent assessment  comulative of the entire range , on people’s health and the ecosystem to determine how much of the Aravalli has already been destroyed ! ” she demanded.

Ecological restoration practitioner , Vijay Dhasmana said there are two lobbies , the mining and real estate which are pressing for a new definition of the Aravallis . However , the fact remains that geological features of the Aravallis have not been defined yet. The mining and real estate lobies strongly belive what is good for their profit is also good for the Aravallis !

The SC order staying its  own order  on Aravallis made on the advise of the Union Ministry of Environment have to be viewed very positively by the people of the country . For one in recent times the Supreme Court’s and High Courts have been very reluctant to go against the government even when it’s orders have been causing unavoidable hardships to the people .

In the 80s and 90 we witnessed the Supreme Court and High Courts taking suo moto action on issues of public interest and even when individual freedoms are in danger. The Aravalli stay order shows that the SC had an open mind on matters of public interest.

Considering the Aravalli Hills and Ranges have been subjected to unbridled human greed for decades now one can only hope that SC will.also appoint a Monitoring Committe to ensure that it’s orders are executed in the letter and spirit.