New Delhi : In a notable turn amid public protests and environmental backlash, the Supreme Court of India on Monday stayed its recent ruling on the Aravalli Hills and decided to constitute a new expert committee to reassess the environmental consequences of the earlier recommendations.
The order was passed by a Bench led by Justice Surya Kant, along with Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice A.G. Masih, in a suo motu matter concerning the protection of the ecologically fragile Aravalli range.
The stay comes less than six weeks after an earlier Bench had approved an elevation-based definition for identifying Aravalli Hills. That definition, according to several reports and environmental groups, would have excluded over 90 percent of the Aravalli landscape from mining restrictions, triggering widespread concern and protests.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union government, submitted that there had been misconceptions regarding the earlier judgment and the government’s role. He informed the Court that the previous recommendations had already been examined and accepted by an earlier Bench.
The Chief Justice observed that the matter required independent scientific and environmental scrutiny. The Court noted that questions such as whether regulated or sustainable mining within the newly demarcated areas could still result in ecological harm must be examined by domain experts rather than settled purely on legal interpretation.
Staying the earlier ruling, the Bench directed that both the Supreme Court’s prior findings and the recommendations of the earlier committee would remain in abeyance until the new expert body submits its report.
In November 2025, a Bench headed by then Chief Justice B.R. Gavai had accepted recommendations of a committee that proposed defining an “Aravalli Hill” as any landform in the Aravalli districts with a local relief of 100 metres or more. It also defined an “Aravalli Range” as two or more such hills situated within 500 metres of each other.
That judgment declined to impose a complete ban on mining, reasoning that blanket prohibitions often fuel illegal mining and criminal networks. However, environmentalists argued that the definitions effectively diluted protection for one of India’s oldest mountain systems, which stretches across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
The issue traces back to May 2024, when the Court, while hearing cases related to illegal mining, sought a uniform definition of the Aravalli Hills after noting conflicting standards adopted by different States.
The Court has now decided to set up a new committee comprising environmental and technical experts to assess the ecological impact of the earlier definitions and recommendations. Notices have been issued to the Union government and the States of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. Until further orders, all earlier directions and committee findings will remain suspended. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on January 21, 2026.
