SINCE A CONTROVERSIAL order passed in November 2025, by a bench led by former Chief Justice of India (‘CJI’) B.R. Gavai, the Supreme Court in the last two months has attempted to shift gears in a case with high stakes concerning the ecological future of the Aravalli hills in North Western India.
First on December 29, 2025, in a new suo motu case, a bench led by CJI Surya Kant placed the controversial November 20 judgment, which had approved a controversial definition of the Aravalli hills, brought out by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, in abeyance. Subsequently in a hearing conducted on January 21, 2026, the same bench extended the interim order passed on December 29.
The proceedings underscores a rare judicial admission of the need for abundant caution following a significant outcry from environmentalists and civil society who feared the November verdict would strip protection from vast swathes of the ancient mountain range.
The November 20 Judgment and the storm it triggered
On November 20, 2025, the Supreme Court delivered a judgment accepting a committee-recommended “uniform definition” of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges for the purpose of regulating mining. This topographical definition classified Aravalli hills as landforms with an elevation of 100 metres or more from local relief, and Aravalli ranges as clusters of such hills located within 500 metres of each other.
