Stretching over 650 km from Delhi to Gujarat, the Aravallis are among the world’s oldest mountain ranges, emerging nearly 3.2 billion years ago. Though reduced to a fraction of their original form, they provide irreplaceable ecological services and host immense biodiversity. In 2004, the Supreme Court itself noted that the Aravallis harbour Saharan, Ethiopian, Peninsular, Oriental and Malayan elements of flora and fauna.
Yet, a Supreme Court judgment delivered on November 20, 2025 accepted a height-based definition of the Aravallis proposed by the Central government, treating only hills rising 100 metres above local relief as protected. This decision overturned earlier approaches that recognised the ecological continuity of the range, including slopes and lower hill systems. The judgment followed a committee recommendation that prioritised “sustainable mining” while ignoring its own warning that elevation alone cannot define the Aravallis’ geological and ecological extent.
The ruling was passed without examining how many hills would be excluded, without comparing alternative definitions, and without public consultation. Environmental groups, citizens and mining-affected communities were never heard. This definition prioritises short-term financial gains over long-term ecological and social survival—an approach whose consequences nature will answer through floods, droughts and irreversible loss.
