A three-judge Bench comprising CJI Surya Kant directed the formation of a five-member High-Powered Committee to undertake a comprehensive review of scientific, environmental and geological aspects connected to the Aravalli Hills.
Environmentalist Neelam Ahluwalia said that the Aravallis have been "bleeding" for decades due to deforestation, licensed and illegal mining, and real estate development that has razed hills and poisoned aquifers.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday said he has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging ex post facto environmental clearances, asserting that such approvals are illegal, harmful to public health, and undermine governance.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi made it clear that the proposed expert committee would function under the direct control and supervision of the Supreme Court.
Senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, “The Supreme Court has risen to right a wrong. As people rose in unison, the Court chose caution over haste.”
The renewed debate over the Aravalli hills exposes a familiar fault line in India’s environmental governance: the tension between ecological complexity and administrative simplicity.
However, this failed to buy peace with the Congress and environmentalists again, referring to the contentious new definition of the Aravallis based on a 100-metre elevation threshold and a Forest Survey of India (FSI) study, which Yadav says does not exist.
The government responded to the allegations, and Energy Minister A K Sharma urged all members to bring their problems to his attention, assuring them that the government would resolve them.
Congress again accused the BJP-led Centre of 'misleading' public and 'endangering one of India’s most ecologically sensitive regions'
The top court last month accepted the Centre's definition of the Aravalli hills. As per the definition, only hills with an elevation of 100 metres and above will be considered part of the Aravalli range
