SC to hold crucial suo motu hearing on Aravalli definition today

As per the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, and Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.G. Masih will hear the suo motu writ petition titled “In Re: Definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges and Ancillary Issues” on December 29.

The Supreme Court has taken up the issue on its own motion amid growing concerns over the protection of the ecologically fragile Aravalli range and the government’s repeated assurance to protect it.

In a decisive move to curb illegal mining and strengthen ecological protection, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has directed state governments to impose a “complete ban” on granting any new mining leases in the Aravallis.

The Ministry said the prohibition will apply uniformly across the Aravalli landscape, covering the mountain range from Delhi to Gujarat. It underscored that the objective is to “preserve the integrity of the range as a continuous geological ridge” and to put an end to unregulated mining activities.

Further tightening the conservation framework, the MoEFCC has instructed the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to identify additional areas and zones across the entire Aravalli range where mining must be prohibited, over and above the areas already restricted by the Centre.

In a related development, Congress leader and former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday wrote to Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, raising serious concerns over the recent redefinition of the Aravalli Hills.

He claimed that the new definition restricts their classification to landforms with an elevation of 100 metres or more.

Sharing the letter on the social media platform X on Sunday, Ramesh said, “Here is my most recent letter to the Union Minister of Environment, Forests & Climate Change asking four-pointed questions on the disastrous redefinition of the Aravallis.”

In the letter dated December 28, the Congress leader flagged what he described as widespread concerns over the new definition and sought clarity from the minister by posing four specific questions. Addressing Minister Yadav, he wrote: “There are understandably widespread concerns with the re-definition of the Aravalli Hills that restrict them to landforms having an elevation of 100 meters or more. In this connection, please permit me to raise four specific questions for your consideration.”