SC Takes Suo Motu Cognizance of Aravalli Definition Row, Hearing on Monday

New Delhi, Dec 28: Amid controversy over the definition of the Aravalli hills approved earlier, the Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and is scheduled to hear it on Monday.

As per the cause list, a three-judge vacation bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih is likely to take up the case, titled “In Re: Definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges and Ancillary Issues.”

The apex court had on November 20 accepted a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges and imposed a ban on granting fresh mining leases within the Aravalli region spread across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat, pending expert reports.

The court had endorsed the recommendations of a committee constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) aimed at protecting the world’s oldest mountain system. The committee defined an “Aravalli Hill” as any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief, while an “Aravalli Range” was described as a cluster of two or more such hills located within 500 metres of each other.

According to the panel, the entire landform enclosed within the lowest contour of such hills, including supporting slopes and associated landforms irrespective of gradient, would be deemed part of the Aravalli Hills. For Aravalli Ranges, the area between two or more hills, along with associated features such as hillocks and slopes, would also be included.

The Supreme Court delivered a detailed 29-page judgment in the suo motu proceedings arising from the long-running environmental litigation in the T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad case. “We further accept the recommendations with regard to the prohibition of mining in core/inviolate areas with exceptions as carved out in the committee’s report,” the then bench, in a judgment authored by CJI Gavai, had said.

The court also accepted recommendations on sustainable mining and measures to curb illegal mining in the Aravalli hills and ranges. Authorities were directed to identify permissible mining zones as well as ecologically sensitive, conservation-critical and restoration-priority areas where mining would either be strictly prohibited or allowed only under exceptional and scientifically justified circumstances.

The bench had further ordered that no new mining leases be granted until the Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) is finalised by the MoEF&CC in consultation with the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE). Existing mining operations were allowed to continue, subject to strict compliance with the committee’s recommendations.

Describing the Aravallis as a vital “green barrier” preventing the eastward expansion of the Thar desert and supporting rich biodiversity, the court underscored that a clear, scientific definition was essential for environmental protection, land-use regulation and determining permissible mining activities. (Agencies)