BREAKING| Supreme Court Takes Suo Motu Case On Aravalli Hills' Definition

The Supreme Court of India has taken suo motu cognisance of concerns arising from the recent change in the definition of the Aravalli Hills, amid apprehensions that the move could pave the way for unregulated mining and severe environmental degradation.

A vacation Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice J K Maheshwari and Justice A G Masih is scheduled to consider the matter on Monday, December 29.

The Court's intervention comes in the backdrop of public protests and environmental concerns triggered by the revised definition of the Aravalli hills, a region recognised for its ecological significance and role in preventing desertification and sustaining groundwater levels. Environmental groups and civil society organisations have expressed fears that dilution of the definition could legitimise mining and construction activities in previously protected areas.

It may be recalled that the issue concerns the conflicting definitions of the Aravali Hills and Ranges across the states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat had led to regulatory gaps and illegal mining.

To resolve this, the Supreme Court had earlier constituted a high-level committee.

In its judgment delivered in November this year, the 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 Aravali 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.

• “Aravali Range” is formed when two or more such hills lie within 500 metres of each other.

It should be noted that 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.

Case | In Re : Definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges and ancillary issues.