Aravalli In Spotlight: Why The Govt Says Fears Around The SC Definition Are Misplaced

Last Updated:December 22, 2025, 13:47 IST

The Centre maintains that the Supreme Court’s definition brings clarity, not dilution, and that claims of large-scale loss of protection are misplaced.

The Aravallis form one of the last natural barriers against desert dust entering the capital. (Getty Images)

The future of the Aravalli range has become a national talking point after a Supreme Court judgment on November 20 approved a new, uniform definition for what qualifies as an Aravalli hill and range. The ruling uses a 100-metre elevation benchmark for identifying a hill and a 500-metre proximity rule for identifying a range.

While environmental groups fear the 100-metre elevation benchmark narrows the recognised footprint of India’s oldest mountain range, the government insists this interpretation is incorrect and says the ruling actually strengthens protection. According to the Centre, the judgment removes decades of ambiguity, expands the protective boundary by covering entire hill systems, and most importantly, imposes a complete freeze on new mining leases across the region.

The debate has escalated on the ground and across social media, but the Centre maintains that “more than 90 per cent" of the Aravalli landscape remains protected under the Supreme Court-approved framework. It argues that claims of weakened safeguards stem from misunderstanding the definition rather than the substance of the ruling.

Environmental groups, however, warn that many of the lower hills that form the ecological backbone of the range may fall outside the formal classification.

This explainer breaks down what the Supreme Court approved, why the concerns surged, and how the government says the ruling strengthens, not dilutes, protections for the Aravalli system.

What The Supreme Court Has Actually Approved

The Supreme Court accepted recommendations from a high-level committee formed in May 2024 under the Environment Ministry Secretary, with representatives from Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Delhi and technical bodies such as the Forest Survey of India and the Geological Survey of India.

The committee was tasked with resolving the long-standing problem of inconsistent state definitions of the Aravalli system. Only Rajasthan had a formal definition, introduced in 2006, whereas other states used varying or ambiguous criteria. The court held that this inconsistency contributed to ecological degradation and required a scientific, map-verifiable standard.

Under the new definition, an Aravalli hill is any landform rising 100 metres or more above local relief. An Aravalli range is a cluster of two or more such hills located within 500 metres of each other, with the entire landform enclosed by the lowest contour treated as protected, regardless of internal variations in height.

The court reiterated the ecological significance of the Aravallis as a shield against desertification, an important groundwater recharge structure and a major biodiversity corridor. Crucially, it ordered that no new mining leases be granted until the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) prepares a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) covering the entire landscape.

Why The New Definition Triggered Fears

Environmentalists and local communities argue that the 100-metre threshold excludes many of the lower ridges that have historically been understood as part of the Aravalli system.

An internal Forest Survey of India assessment suggests that more than 90 per cent of the formations may not meet the elevation criterion. In Rajasthan, only 1,048 of 12,081 mapped hills—just 8.7 per cent—qualify. Critics say these low hills are critical to aquifer recharge, dust regulation and ecological continuity and insist that narrowing the recognised footprint intensifies risks in a region already showing signs of stress.

Concerns have also surfaced over omissions in the list of Aravalli districts presented by the Centre to the court, including areas such as Chittorgarh and Sawai Madhopur. Protests in Rajasthan and Haryana and a surge of public statements from environmental activists reflect the fear that weakening the definition could undo decades of conservation work.

How The Government Explains The Judgment

The government says the fears stem from misinterpretation. It argues that the 100-metre elevation criterion is simply a way to classify hills, not a boundary of protection. The protection applies to the entire hill system enclosed by the lowest bounding contour, meaning slopes, foothills, valleys and intervening landforms are all included. According to the Centre, the belief that landforms below 100 metres are now open for mining is incorrect and ignores the contour-based protection the court has upheld.

The 500-metre rule, the Centre says, strengthens protection by recognising ecologically connected structures as a single range. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has repeatedly stated that “more than 90 per cent of the Aravalli region will remain protected" and that “no relaxation has been granted."

He has also urged critics to “stop spreading misinformation," emphasising that the judgment expands protection by adopting scientific mapping, treating the Aravallis as a continuous landscape and removing loopholes that arose from inconsistent state practices.

According to the government, the new approach treats the Aravallis as a continuous geological ridge from Gujarat to Delhi, rather than isolated hillocks. This landscape-level planning is aimed at preventing fragmentation, one of the biggest ecological risks facing the region.

Officials said the measures will help:

• Prevent the spread of desertification from the Thar Desert
• Protect groundwater recharge zones in foothills and valleys
• Preserve biodiversity corridors and habitats
• Safeguard Delhi-NCR’s “green lungs" that influence air quality and local climate

Why The Centre Says Safeguards Are Now Stricter

The government says the Supreme Court-approved framework introduces stronger safeguards than those previously in place. Mining is prohibited in core and inviolate areas, including protected areas, eco-sensitive zones, wetlands, tiger reserves and CAMPA plantation sites, as well as areas in proximity to such regions. Limited exemptions exist only for strategic, critical and atomic minerals and require strict oversight.

Officials note that the historic pattern of mining at or dangerously close to hill bases was one of the primary drivers of degradation. By using contour-based mapping for the entire hill system, the new framework closes the gap that earlier allowed excavation right at the foot of hills while technically avoiding the peak. The Centre says mandatory mapping on Survey of India charts before any mining decision ensures transparency and uniformity.

The government also points out that legally approved mining covers only 0.19 per cent of the Aravalli area in Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat. Delhi does not permit mining at all. The primary threat, according to the Centre, remains illegal mining, and the government says surveillance has been tightened with drones, CCTV, weighbridges and district-level enforcement teams

Political Reactions Around The Ruling

The ruling has triggered sharp political disagreement. Congress leaders have accused the Centre of prioritising mining interests over environmental protection and warned of “very grave environmental and public health consequences." Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot publicly aligned himself with the #SaveAravalli campaign, while other Congress figures amplified the argument that the 100-metre rule could strip protection from nearly 90 per cent of the hills.

Independent Rajasthan MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati has also opposed the judgment. He warned that the decision “threatens 90 per cent of the hills" and called it a “serious blow" to the region’s ecological balance, vowing, “We will save the Aravallis."

The government has firmly rejected these claims. Bhupender Yadav has reiterated that “no relaxation has been granted" and that the Supreme Court-approved framework protects “more than 90 per cent of the Aravalli region," adding that the criticism is alarmist and contrary to the scientific mapping standards the court has endorsed.

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