Aravalli hills case: SC to form expert panel, mining remains halted

The Supreme Court is set to form an expert panel to define the Aravalli hills' boundaries. A bench led by CJI Surya Kant noted that all activities, particularly mining, have been halted and this status quo will be maintained.

The Supreme Court on Thursday scheduled the next hearing in the Aravalli hills definition case to constitute an expert panel tasked with examining the boundaries of the Aravalli region and associated concerns. The date of the hearing will be confirmed once the Order is uploaded to the Court's official website.

Mining Halted, Status Quo Maintained

A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant observed that all activities, particularly mining operations for which licenses or permissions were previously granted, have come to a halt. "We are conscious of the fact that all activities, especially mining activities for which licences or permissions were granted, have come to a halt. Such a status quo will have to be maintained until these issues are dealt with in a phased manner," the Court said.

"Post the matter for the purpose of constitution of the committee and other issues that arise for determination", the Court noted.

During the proceedings, the Court verbally remarked, "If you go by the history, even this Supreme Court building is Aravalli. But today to say that, it is Aravalli, would be a misnomer."

Background of the Aravalli Definition Case

Earlier on December 29, the Supreme Court had "put in abeyance" its earlier decision (issued on November 20) to accept the Central Environment Ministry's definition of the Aravalli Hills and Aravalli Range. The top court's acceptance of the definition in November had exposed most of the Aravalli region to the risk of being used for regulated mining.

A vacation bench of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices JK Maheshwari and AG Masih had also ordered the formation of a new expert committee to examine issues that required to be examined in terms of the definition of Aravallis.

The Court had also issued notice to the Centre and the four Aravalli States - Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Haryana, seeking their response to its suo motu case on the issue.

Earlier, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of concerns surrounding the definition of the Aravalli Range, amid mounting criticism from environmentalists and opposition parties over its potential impact on the fragile mountain ecosystem.

Controversial 100-Metre Criterion

The development follows objections to the Centre's newly notified definition of the Aravalli mountain range, which is based on a 100-metre height criterion.

Centre's Ban on New Mining Leases

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), on December 24, issued directions to the States for a complete ban on the Grant of any New Mining Leases in the Aravallis. This prohibition applies uniformly across the entire Aravalli landscape and is intended to preserve the integrity of the range. The directions are aimed at safeguarding the Aravallis as a continuous geological ridge extending from Gujarat to the National Capital Region and at stopping all unregulated mining activities.

About the Aravalli Range

The Aravalli range is a 670-kilometre-long mountain range in northwestern India. The highest elevation of the range had been recorded at 1,722 metres. The hill starts near Delhi, passes through Haryana, Rajasthan, and ends in Gujarat. The highest peak of the range is known as Guru Shikhar in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. The Aravalli range is the oldest fold-mountain belt in India, dating back around 2 billion years. (ANI)

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