On Monday, December 29, 2025, the Supreme Court of India placed its prior directives regarding the Aravalli hills in abeyance and announced the formation of a new expert committee to comprehensively examine the matter. This decision effectively puts on hold the implementation of the court's November 20, 2025, judgment, which had accepted a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges and imposed a ban on fresh mining leases in the area.
The Aravalli range, a crucial geographical feature acting as a natural barrier against the Thar Desert's expansion towards the Gangetic plains, has been the subject of ongoing legal and environmental debate. The Supreme Court's intervention aims to reconcile ecological preservation with developmental concerns.
The decision was made by a vacation bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices JK Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih, during a hearing on a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges and Ancillary Issues'. The court observed that the previous expert committee's report and the court's own observations had been "misconstrued" in some quarters. The court emphasized the necessity of a fair, impartial, and independent expert opinion before enforcing any recommendations or issuing final directives.
The newly proposed high-powered committee will consist of domain experts who will conduct an exhaustive and holistic examination of the Aravalli issue. The court seeks to address critical ambiguities in the accepted definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges, particularly regarding its practical application across the mountain system's geographical expanse.
Specifically, the Supreme Court raised several key questions that the new committee is expected to address:
- Whether restricting the definition of the Aravalli range to a 500-meter area creates a structural paradox by narrowing the conservation zone.
- Whether the current definition has broadened the scope of non-Aravalli areas where regulated mining might be permitted.
- How to treat gaps between hill areas, especially where two hills of 100 meters or more in height are separated by approximately 700 meters, and whether regulated mining should be allowed in these gaps.
- How the ecological continuity of the Aravalli range can be preserved.
- Whether a comprehensive assessment is required to maintain the structural integrity of the range if a significant regulatory lacuna is identified.
The Supreme Court has issued notices to the central government and the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, and Delhi, seeking their responses in the suo motu proceedings. The next hearing on this matter is scheduled for January 21, 2026.
The earlier November 20 ruling had accepted a definition of "Aravalli Hill" as any landform in notified Aravalli districts rising 100 meters or more above local relief, and an "Aravalli Range" as two or more such hills located within 500 meters of each other. This definition was based on the recommendations of a committee from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The ruling also imposed a ban on granting fresh mining leases in the Aravalli areas across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat until expert reports were submitted.
The Supreme Court's decision to reconsider the definition of the Aravalli hills comes amidst concerns raised by environmentalists. Vimlendu K Jha, an environmentalist, questioned how an ecosystem existing for billions of years could be redefined, suggesting that redefining the Aravallis for mining and real estate purposes could threaten water sovereignty, air quality, and the climate of North India.
