New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed its November 20 judgment that had adopted a uniform definition for the Aravalli hills and ranges, citing the need for clarifications on key aspects to prevent potential ecological harm and unregulated mining.
A vacation bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant along with Justices JK Maheshwari and AG Masih, initiated the suo motu proceedings, following widespread protests over fears of threats to the mountain range. It also emphasised the importance of an independent expert assessment to resolve ambiguities and to provide definitive guidance on the issues concerning Aravalli, particularly the definitions of hills and ranges, according to Bar and Bench.
“We deem it necessary to direct that the recommendations submitted by the committee, together with the findings and directions stipulated by this court in the judgment of November 20, 2025, be kept in abeyance,” NDTV reported, quoting the bench.
The court highlighted ambiguities in the previous definition, questioning whether it might fragment the ecological continuity of the range. “An analysis of whether sustainable mining or regulated mining within the newly demarcated Aravalli area, notwithstanding the regulated oversight, would result in any adverse ecological consequences… that aspect can be examined,” CJI Kant said.
While issuing notice to the Centre and the concerned state governments, the bench ordered the formation of a high-powered committee comprising domain experts for a “multi-period investigation” and holistic examination of the issue, including the recommendations made by an earlier committee that mostly comprised bureaucrats.
The court also sought assistance from the Attorney General and senior advocate P Parmeshwar in finalising the committee’s composition.
The next hearing has been posted for January 21.
The Aravalli range, one of the world’s oldest fold mountains stretching over 700 km from Gujarat to Delhi through Rajasthan and Haryana, serves as a crucial barrier against desertification from the Thar Desert, supports biodiversity, and aids groundwater recharge in arid regions. Environmentalists and activists had argued that the earlier definition — limiting Aravalli hills to landforms rising at least 100 metres above the surrounding terrain — could exclude vast stretches of the ecologically sensitive range, opening them up to mining activities.
