In a packed courtroom on Thursday, the Supreme Court delivered a crucial judgment that could shape the environmental future of North India. Hearing the decades-old Godavarman forest matter, the bench led by CJI B.R. Gavai laid out a detailed roadmap for how the Aravalli Hills must be identified and protected, especially in the face of increased mining pressures across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
The tone in court was firm but not hostile-more like the judges were nudging authorities to finally bring order to a long-ignored environmental hotspot.
Background
For years, different states have used different criteria to define the Aravalli range, creating massive confusion on where mining is allowed and where it must be prohibited. This inconsistency, the Court noted earlier, has directly contributed to illegal mining, ecological degradation, and the steady eastward creep of desertification.
Back in January and May 2024, the Court had asked a multi-member committee-comprising MoEF&CC officials, state forest secretaries, the Forest Survey of India (FSI), and others-to come up with a uniform definition. The committee’s report, finally submitted in October 2025, formed the backbone of today’s ruling.
Court’s Observations
During the hearing, the judges repeatedly stressed that the Aravallis are not just another hill range-they are a “green barrier” that shields the northern plains from desertification. “We cannot take this landscape for granted any longer,” the bench remarked at one point.
The Court acknowledged the committee’s technical work in defining Aravali Hills based on elevation and contour mapping. However, it also echoed concerns raised by the amicus curiae that scientific safeguards must be stronger, especially since large parts of the range contain fragile aquifers, wildlife corridors, and forest patches dating back millions of years.
The bench observed, “The Aravalis are one of the oldest geological features on Earth, and their ecological value cannot be reduced merely to mining metrics.”
Interestingly, the Court did not agree to impose a blanket ban on ongoing legal mining. Drawing from past experience, the judges explained that total bans often push mining underground, leading to mafias and uncontrolled extraction.
What the Court insisted on instead was scientific planning: a district-level Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM), similar to one earlier created for the Saranda forests in Jharkhand. The judges seemed convinced that without such mapping, even well-intentioned regulation would collapse on the ground.
Decision
Ending the hearing with a structured set of directives, the Supreme Court ordered the following:
- The Court formally accepted the committee’s uniform definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges.
- Mining in core or “inviolate” ecological zones will remain prohibited, except for a narrow category of strategic or atomic minerals approved under law.
- MoEF&CC must prepare a comprehensive MPSM for the entire Aravalli stretch, extending from Gujarat to Delhi, with ICFRE as the technical body.
- No new mining leases can be granted until this scientific plan is ready.
- Existing legal mines may continue but only under strict compliance with environmental safeguards recommended by the committee.
- Future mining permissions will be allowed only in zones classified as suitable under the upcoming MPSM.
With this, the Court made it clear that the Aravallis will not be closed off entirely-but mining will no longer operate in a grey zone. And as the CJI noted while rising, the health of one of India’s oldest mountain systems will now depend on how seriously authorities follow through.
Case Title: In Re: Issue Relating to Definition of Aravali Hills and Ranges
Connected Case: In Re: T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad vs. Union of India & Others
Case No.: I.A. No. 105701 of 2024 in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 202 of 1995
Case Type: Inherent/Original Jurisdiction – Environmental & Forest Conservation Matter
Court: Supreme Court of India
Bench:
- Hon’ble Chief Justice B.R. Gavai
- Justice K. Vinod Chandran
- Justice N.V. Anjaria ISSUE RELATING TO DEFINITION OF…
Decision Date: 20 November 2025
