SC to set up expert committee on Aravalis, flags continuing illegal mining

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed grave concern over the continued illegal mining in the Aravali hills and ranges despite a judicial ban, warning that the activity is causing irreversible ecological damage.

Directing Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan to take all possible measures to stop the violations, the court said illicit mining must be halted “at all costs”.

“There are people who are incorrigibly engaged in illegal mining, which has devastating consequences for the Aravalis,” a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi said.

The court’s remarks came while hearing a suo motu case initiated on December 29 following concerns raised by environmentalists over its November 20 order that accepted a 100-metre elevation criterion to define the Aravali hills and ranges.

Acting on these concerns, the court had stayed all mining activity across the Aravalis in four states Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat, including the renewal and grant of fresh leases, and also put on hold its earlier direction permitting preparation of a management plan for “sustainable mining”.

On Wednesday, the bench said it would constitute an expert body under the direct supervision and control of the Supreme Court to carry out an “exhaustive, holistic and scientific” examination of the Aravali hills and ranges. The expert panel will help evolve a comprehensive definition of the Aravalis to safeguard their “structural and ecological integrity”.

The court asked amicus curiae K Parameshwar, Additional Solicitors General Aishwarya Bhati and K M Nataraj, and senior advocates, including Kapil Sibal, to suggest names of experts environmentalists, geologists, naturalists and forest specialists ,within four weeks.

Until the expert body is formed, completes its study and submits recommendations, the states concerned have been directed to take “all possible steps” to stop illegal mining and prosecute offenders.

Refusing to entertain multiple intervention applications, the bench said it would not allow vested interests to derail efforts to preserve the Aravali ranges, describing them as the last natural barrier preventing the Thar Desert from advancing eastwards into the fertile Gangetic plains.

The court flagged several issues that prompted it to revisit the matter, including whether allowing a 500-metre separation between two hills undermines the structural continuity of the Aravali range, whether it expands non-Aravali areas within the range and enables unregulated mining, and whether the 100-metre elevation criterion has scientific sanctity.

Another concern raised by the bench was the criticism that only 1,048 of Rajasthan’s 12,081 mapped hills meet the 100-metre elevation threshold, potentially stripping large parts of the Aravalis of environmental protection. The court said it would examine whether this claim is factually and scientifically accurate.

About the Aravalis

The Aravali range is one of the world’s oldest mountain systems, estimated to be over 1.5 billion years old. Stretching roughly 700 km from Gujarat to Delhi, the range plays a critical ecological role by regulating climate, supporting biodiversity, recharging groundwater, and acting as a natural barrier against desertification.

The hills are home to tropical dry forests, grasslands, wildlife corridors and several river systems, and are considered crucial for the environmental security of north-western India.

Environmentalists have long warned that mining, construction and fragmentation of the Aravalis have severely weakened the range, leading to falling groundwater levels, rising temperatures and increased dust pollution across the National Capital Region.