In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India has taken suo motu cognizance of the concerns surrounding the definition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges. The decision comes amid rising apprehensions that a recent change in the definition could lead to unregulated mining and severe environmental degradation in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli region.
A vacation bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice J K Maheshwari, and Justice A G Masih is scheduled to hear the matter on Monday, December 29. The court's intervention follows public protests and growing environmental concerns triggered by the revised definition of the Aravalli hills, a region recognized for its ecological importance in preventing desertification and maintaining groundwater levels.
The issue of conflicting definitions of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat has long been a cause of regulatory gaps and illegal mining. To address this, the Supreme Court had previously established a high-level committee. In a judgment delivered in November 2025, a bench led by the then Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria accepted the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) committee's recommended operational definition for the Aravalli Hills and Ranges in the context of mining.
Under this definition, "Aravali Hills" refer to any landform in designated districts with a minimum 100-metre elevation from the local relief, including supporting slopes and connected landforms. An "Aravali Range" is formed when two or more such hills lie within 500 metres of each other. The court had directed the Centre to prepare a comprehensive Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) before any new mining activity is permitted in the ecologically fragile region. The Centre has also banned new mining leases across the range from Delhi to Gujarat.
However, the adoption of this uniform, height-based definition has triggered widespread criticism and triggered the #SaveAravalli campaign. Environmental groups and civil society organizations fear that the dilution of the definition could legitimize mining and construction activities in previously protected areas. Critics argue that the 100-meter criterion effectively strips protection from a significant portion of the Aravalli Hills, potentially opening them up to exploitation. An internal assessment by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) indicates that the 100-metre threshold could exclude over 90% of the Aravalli system from the new definition. This exclusion could render these areas vulnerable to mining, construction, and urbanization, potentially reversing decades of conservation efforts.
The Aravalli range, one of the oldest mountain systems in the world, stretches approximately 650-700 km from Delhi to Gujarat. It serves as a crucial ecological backbone for north-west India, preventing desertification, aiding groundwater recharge, moderating climate, and supporting rich biodiversity. The range acts as a natural climatic barrier, preventing the eastward expansion of the Thar Desert. It also serves as a source and recharge zone for rivers like the Chambal, Sabarmati, and Luni.
The Supreme Court's decision to take suo motu cognizance reflects the gravity of the situation and the urgent need to address the potential ecological consequences of the revised definition. The upcoming hearing on December 29 is expected to shed light on the concerns raised by environmentalists and determine the future course of action for the protection of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges.
