Supreme Court puts its own Aravalli hills definition verdict on hold, seeks expert review

The Supreme Court on Monday kept in abeyance the directions in its November 20 verdict that had accepted a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges.

A vacation bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices J K Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih proposed to constitute a high-powered committee comprising domain experts to undertake an exhaustive and holistic examination of the issue.

"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," the bench said while hearing a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges and Ancillary Issues'.

The top court said there are issues that will require clarification. It issued a notice to the Centre and others in the suo motu matter and posted it for further hearing on January 21.

The top court on November 20 accepted a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges and banned the grant of fresh mining leases inside its areas spanning Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat until experts' reports are out.

The apex court had accepted the recommendations of a committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on the definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges to protect the world's oldest mountain system.

The committee had recommended that "Aravalli Hill" be defined as any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief, and an "Aravalli Range" will be a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other.

The committee, while defining Aravalli hills, said, "Any landform located in the Aravalli districts, having an elevation of 100 metres or more from the local relief, shall be termed as Aravalli Hills... The entire landform lying within the area enclosed by such lowest contour, whether actual or extended notionally, together with the Hill, its supporting slopes and associated landforms irrespective of their gradient, shall be deemed to constitute part of the Aravalli Hills."

The panel also defined the Aravalli Range and said, "Two or more Aravalli Hills ..., located within a proximity of 500m from each other, measured from the outermost point on the boundary of the lowest contour line on either side, form the Aravalli Range."

The area between the two Aravalli hills is determined by first creating buffers with a width equal to the minimum distance between the lowest contour lines of both hills ... The entire area of landforms falling between the lowest contour lines of these hills, as explained, along with associated features such as Hills, Hillocks, supporting slopes, etc., shall also be included as part of the Aravalli Range.

The apex court on November 20 delivered a 29-page judgement in the suo motu matter arising out of 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 exception as carved out of the ... committee's report," the top court had said.

It had also accepted the recommendations for sustainable mining and the steps to be taken for preventing illegal mining in the Aravali Hills and Ranges.