Work day and night: SC sets Nov 30 deadline, denies Aravalli panel 6 more months

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Sep 8, 2026: Environmentalists and activists have raised concerns over the Supreme Court’s refusal to grant an additional six months to a high-powered committee reviewing the definition and delineation of the Aravalli range, warning that a scientifically rigorous assessment of the fragile ecosystem should not be rushed.

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Aravalli High-Powered Committee (HPC) to submit its final report by November 30, rejecting its request to extend the deadline to February 28, 2027. The court also warned that it could reconstitute the panel if it failed to submit the report within the stipulated timeframe.

“Let the panel work day and night to submit a report on the Aravalli issue. If they are unable to do that in two months, we will reconstitute the whole panel," Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said.

The HPC had sought more time on August 31, the original deadline for submitting its final report, arguing that an extension was necessary for a “comprehensive and defensible" examination of the Aravalli range.

Environmentalists Question Deadline

Diwan Singh, co-founder of the Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyaan, questioned the urgency behind the court’s deadline, saying a review of such significance required adequate time and scientific rigour.

He said the Supreme Court’s decision to reject the committee’s request was “very disturbing", arguing that the HPC should not be treated like “school students" and asked why the panel should be expected to “work day and night" on a report requiring detailed scientific examination.

Singh pointed to the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, which took a year to complete its assessment before recommending that the Western Ghats be declared an ecologically sensitive area.

“All these things need time and should certainly not be rushed… The Aravallis deserve nothing less," he said.

In its compliance report, the HPC said its review needed to examine the Aravallis’ wider geological, geomorphological, hydrological, biogeographical, ecological, biodiversity, mineral-resource and socio-economic dimensions.

The panel has proposed an Aravalli Ecosystem Landscape (AEL) framework, which it said could identify areas with different socio-ecological characteristics and help develop differentiated conservation and management approaches.

Call To Cover All 64 Districts

Conservationist Neelam Ahluwalia said the committee’s study must cover all 64 districts of the Aravalli range.

These include 63 districts across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi, as mentioned in a Forest Survey of India report dated September 22, 2025, along with Mathura.

Ahluwalia said the committee should not rely solely on the Union Environment Ministry-led panel’s report, which identified only 37 Aravalli districts and allegedly left out several prominent districts in Rajasthan, including Chittorgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Bharatpur and Bundi.

Bhil Adivasi leader Sadhna Meena also called for greater consultation with rural communities, describing them as critical stakeholders in the Aravalli landscape.

She said the committee should conduct public consultations at the sub-district level, or at least at the district level, across all 64 districts after giving adequate notice to residents.

How The Aravalli Definition Controversy Began

The current exercise stems from the Supreme Court’s November 20, 2025 ruling on mining activities in the Aravalli region.

A Bench headed by then Chief Justice of India B R Gavai had accepted an elevation-based criterion proposed by an expert committee to identify the Aravalli Hills and Range for regulating mining.

Under the formula, a landform in an Aravalli district would qualify as an Aravalli Hill if it rose at least 100 metres above the surrounding local terrain. Two or more such hills located within 500 metres of each other would be considered part of the Aravalli Range.

While endorsing restrictions on mining in core and ecologically sensitive areas, the court stopped short of imposing a blanket ban, reasoning that a complete prohibition could encourage unauthorised mining.

However, the definition triggered sharp criticism from environmentalists and other stakeholders, who argued that the elevation-based test could leave a substantial portion of the Aravallis outside legal protection and vulnerable to mining. There were concerns that more than 90% of the region could effectively fall outside existing safeguards.

Amid the controversy, the Supreme Court revisited the matter. On December 29, 2025, a Bench headed by CJI Surya Kant put the November 20 ruling on hold and suspended the implementation of the earlier expert committee’s recommendations.

The HPC, constituted through an order dated May 25, is now conducting an independent review of the Centre’s report on the definition and delineation of the Aravallis.