Aravali row: Supreme Court takes suo moto cognisance, to hear case on Monday
The court has initiated proceedings on its own amid increasing concern over the protection of the ecologically sensitive Aravalli range.
PTC News Desk: The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of concerns surrounding the definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges. According to the causelist published on the apex court’s website, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice J K Maheshwari and Justice A G Masih will hear the suo motu writ petition, titled “In Re: Definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges and Ancillary Issues”, on Monday, December 29.
The court has initiated proceedings on its own amid increasing concern over the protection of the ecologically sensitive Aravalli range. The hearing follows the Centre’s decision to impose a complete ban on the grant of new mining leases across the Aravallis, stretching from Delhi to Gujarat, while reiterating that existing mining operations must strictly adhere to environmental safeguards and previous Supreme Court directives. The apex court’s intervention has been welcomed by environmental activists, who see it as a potential positive shift in judicial approach towards conservation of the region.
In a parallel move, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has instructed state governments to enforce a blanket ban on issuing any new mining leases in the Aravalli range. The ministry clarified that the prohibition will uniformly apply across the entire Aravalli landscape, from Delhi to Gujarat.
Strengthening conservation efforts further, the MoEF&CC has directed the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to identify additional areas and zones across the Aravallis where mining should be barred, beyond those already restricted by the Centre. This exercise will be based on ecological, geological and landscape-level assessments.
ICFRE has also been assigned the task of preparing a comprehensive, science-based Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) for the entire Aravalli region, which will be placed in the public domain for wider stakeholder consultation.