Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Monday questioned whether a high-powered committee constituted by the Supreme Court to arrive at a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and range was seeking to stretch the exercise beyond his tenure, as the court rejected its request for time until February 28, 2027, and directed it to submit its final report by November 30.
The court made clear that no further extension would be granted. The court, however, acknowledged the complexity of the exercise and directed the committee to submit interim reports on specific issues as and when its examination progresses. The definition triggered criticism from environmentalists and other stakeholders, who warned that large portions of the ecologically fragile landscape could fall outside the regulatory ambit and become vulnerable to mining and other activities. The Supreme Court subsequently took suo motu cognisance of the controversy. The court has since kept a complete halt on mining in the Aravalli region pending the outcome of the fresh exercise and its consideration by the court.
The Supreme Court’s insistence on a time-bound exercise comes against the backdrop of the controversy that erupted over the earlier definition of the Aravalli hills accepted by the top court in November 2025. An earlier committee constituted by the Union environment ministry had proposed that a landform in the Aravalli districts with an elevation of at least 100 metres from the local relief would qualify as an Aravalli hill, while two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other would constitute an Aravalli range. On December 29, 2025, it kept its November judgment in abeyance and ordered a fresh examination by a high-powered expert panel.
The committee’s mandate, therefore, extends beyond drawing a technical boundary around the hills and ranges to examining the wider ecological and socio-economic character of the landscape.
A bench headed by the CJI and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana directed the five-member panel, headed by Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) director general Kanchan Devi, to “work day and night” and meet the fresh deadline. These reports, it said, would allow the court to resolve individual questions without waiting for the entire exercise to conclude. The committee’s request for a six-month extension came after it told the court that its work had shown that the Aravalli landscape could not be adequately defined using a single terrain-based or elevation criterion. The court said the eventual course of action must be based on scientific evidence and consistent with environmental protection and sustainable development.
