INTRODUCTION: THE GEOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ARAVALLI RANGE
The recent case of In Re: Issues relating to definition of Aravali hills and Ranges (2025), the Apex Court adopted a new definition to defines the hills of Aravali, the oldest range.
Derived from the Sanskrit words “ara” and “vali”, Aravalli translates to “line of peaks”.1 With its origins dating back to the Proterozoic era, the Aravalli Range is considered one of the oldest geological features on the planet. 2 The Aravalli range has a rich history of mining copper and other metals, dating back to at least the 5th century BCE.3
The ranges harbour rich biodiversity, with twenty-two wildlife sanctuaries, four tiger reserves, the Keoladeo National Park, along with wetlands and aquifers and its noted as a natural barrier against northern desertification and a protector of biodiversity and water recharge.4
The forested patches within the range serve as essential green lungs, playing a vital role in mitigating air pollution and preventing soil erosion. They have been recognized across 37 districts by state governments.
THE CASE OF RE. ISSUE RELATING TO DEFINITION OF ARAVALI HILLS AND RANGES:
The recent case of In Re: Issues relating to definition of Aravali hills and Ranges (2025), the Apex Court adopted a new definition to defines the hills of Aravali.
In furtherance of the proceedings the Court had noticed the lack of a uniform definition to define the ranges of Aravali and constituted a multi-agency committee, including MoEF&CC, State Forest Departments, Forest Survey of India (“FSI”), Central Empowered Committee and Geological Survey of India to define the ranges.
The committee gave an elevation-based definition which was consequently adopted by the Apex court and therefore only recognises landforms which are over 100m as hills and group of hills within 500m to each other as Aravali range.5
Several environmental activists are raising concerns regarding the illegal mining and the altered definition as, although many of these features do not meet the 100-meter criterion, they perform vital ecological functions and they should be protected. 6
THE REGULATORY LANDSCAPE OF MINING OPERATIONS
The Supreme Court addressed the regulatory framework governing mining operations in the Aravalis determining that an outright prohibition was unwarranted.7 Instead, the Court directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to commission the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education to develop a comprehensive Management Plan for Sustainable Mining and carve out a cumulative environmental impact assessment and ecological carrying capacity analysis of the region.
The judgment imposed a moratorium on new mining licenses, with limited exceptions for critical, strategic, and atomic minerals. For existing mining operations, the Court established an oversight mechanism comprising representatives from state forestry and mining authorities, local administration, and pollution control boards, supplemented by requisite technical experts, to evaluate mining sites against established environmental standards. The judgment further proscribed mining activities in ecologically sensitive areas, including tiger corridors, elephant sanctuaries, wildlife zones, and government-managed plantations.8
The Supreme Court has recognised the rampant mining emphasized that uncontrolled mining here poses a “great threat to the ecology of the nation” and directed uniform criteria to safeguard them. Their conservation is thus vital for ecological stability, cultural heritage, and sustainable development.9
The earlier court orders treated the entire Aravalli system, regardless of elevation, as ecologically sensitive. Experts fear that the 100-metre rule dramatically redefines the Aravalli landscape in a way that weakens protection and defers from previous jurisprudence. 10
OTHER CONSERVATION INITIATIVES:
This new judgement provoked many people into protesting it as the low elevation hills stand to disappear under the rule and it is contrary to the previous jurisprudence which was more ecological conservation oriented. For decades, there were petitions against the illegal mining and expansive protection for aralias is being emphasised as evidenced by the Aravali “green wall” project, the MoEFCC”s 1992 Aravali Notification 11 and the National Capital Region (“NCR”) Planning Board”s declaration of Natural Conservation Zones in the Aravallis in 202112. This judgement weakens the protection further and deviates from the jurisprudence that has been adopted.
FROM STATUTORY NON-COMPLIANCE TO ECOLOGICAL FRAGILITY: ANALYZING THE ENVIRONMENTAL EXTERNALITIES OF ILLEGAL MINING IN RAJASTHAN:
The Central Empowered Committee”s investigative report documented persistent violations of mining regulations within the Aravalli range. According to the Committee”s findings, unauthorized mining activities continued despite regulatory prohibitions.13
A 2021 geospatial study examining land-use dynamics in the Aravalli range identified the disappearance of thirty-one hills over two decades, attributable primarily to illegal mining, land encroachment, and urbanization.14 These cumulative environmental degradations have precipitated a measurable increase in sandstorm frequencies across Rajasthan.
The Committee”s subsequent investigation revealed systematic non-compliance with Supreme Court directives, documenting the illegal excavation of approximately 98.87 lakh tonnes of minerals valued at ₹204.50 crore across five Rajasthan districts between 2011and 2016.15 These violations constituted a deliberate contravention of both statutory regulatory frameworks and explicit judicial orders mandating environmental preservation in the Aravalli hills.
The cumulative impact of such mining operations has substantially degraded the region”s environmental integrity over the past six decades. The destruction has manifested through severe forest cover depletion, accelerated soil erosion, elevated sediment transportation and siltation of water bodies, depletion of surface water sources, and a precipitous decline in groundwater availability—with water table depths declining from 5-10 meters to 50-100 meters. 16
HARMONIZING DOMESTIC ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL STATUTORY MANDATES
In the case of Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar, the court held that the right to life includes the right to enjoy pollution-free air and water. 17
Article 4 of United Nations Convention on Combat Desertification states that, the States, which are parties to it, to inter-alia adopt an integrated approach to address the physical, biological and socio- economic aspects of desertification, promote the conservation of land and water resources 18and Article 5 of the same states that India as a signatory to the UNCCD, is required to strengthen the existing laws, enact new laws as may be needed. 19
While many are advocating to rethink the definitions of forests and interpret them in a way which results in more effective conservation. 20
Within the existing legal framework, the curated definition specifically excludes low-elevation slopes and the foothills of the Aravalli range. This regulatory omission exacerbates the region”s vulnerability, effectively facilitating increased rates of unauthorized deforestation and mining activities. Indian SC with this judgment has just taken a regressive step in efforts to conserving the future.
Author: Nomini
Juris Centre 