Supreme Court Rechecks Aravalli Definition, Forms Expert Panel
Supreme Court Rechecks Aravalli Definition, Forms Expert Panel
SC stays its own 100m Aravalli definition and orders an expert panel to re-evaluate height criteria and mining rules shaping policy and ecology.
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed its November 20 judgment that narrowed the Aravalli range to landforms rising at least 100 metres above surrounding terrain, deciding to reopen and comprehensively re-examine questions about what constitutes the Aravallis and how mining should be regulated in the region.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and AG Masih ordered that the earlier ruling be put in abeyance while an expert assessment is sought. The court also proposed constituting a high-powered expert committee to study the height-based definition, ecological continuity, and permissible mining.
The interim stay is likely to pause mapping and delineation exercises undertaken by the Union environment ministry and state governments to identify Aravalli areas based on the now-stayed 100-metre criterion, a move that would influence future mining decisions in the region.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union government, argued there were misconceptions around the November decision and noted that it had accepted the report of a court-appointed expert committee.
The court's latest move suggests a broader re-evaluation of how the Aravalli hills are defined and how mining activities are regulated to balance ecological concerns with development needs.
