Aravalli Hills Under Watch: Key Court Orders That Shaped Their Protection

Courts in India have repeatedly stepped in over the years to protect the Aravalli Hills, one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges, amid concerns over mining, construction and environmental damage. The

latest interventions come as the Supreme Court of India accepted a uniform, elevation-based definition of the Aravallis based on the recommendations of a Centre-appointed expert committee. Earlier rulings show a long record of judicial oversight aimed at safeguarding the fragile ecosystem.In October this year, the Supreme Court ordered the Haryana government to halt work on a proposed Aravalli jungle safari, billed as the world’s largest zoo-safari project. The court issued notice on petitions by retired forest officers and environmental groups, who argued the plan would damage an ecologically sensitive region vital to Delhi-NCR, reports The Indian Express.In May, the top court sought explanations from Delhi government officials, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and a private developer over alleged violations of its 1996 order protecting Delhi’s ridge, a critical green lung and part of the Aravalli range.

The National Green Tribunal has also intervened multiple times. It directed Haryana authorities to submit plans to reclaim land damaged by illegal mining and barred a private firm from clearing forest land in the Aravallis for a road project without prior approval.

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High courts have acted as well. In 2022, the Punjab and Haryana High Court sought responses from the Centre and Haryana on a plea to restore forested land in Mangar Bani village. In 2020, the same court ordered Haryana to ensure no construction takes place in the Aravallis without clearance from the Supreme Court’s panel or the environment ministry.Earlier, in 2019, the Supreme Court warned Haryana against amending laws to allow construction in protected Aravalli areas. In 2018, it expressed shock over the disappearance of 31 hills in Rajasthan due to mining and ordered an immediate halt.The court has also ordered removal of large-scale encroachments, refused to shield illegal constructions, and threatened prosecution of officials over unchecked mining.Why Has The New Definition of Aravalli Hills Stirred Row?The top court, on November 20, 2025, accepted the recommendations of a committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on the definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges.According to the new definition, "Aravalli Hill is any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief" and an "Aravalli Range is a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other".Environmental activists have held protests against the new elevation-based definition of what constitutes the Aravalli hills, which they feared could prove detrimental to the ecological balance of one of the country's oldest mountain ranges. They demanded that the government declare Aravalli a completely protected area and bring in a strict and clear policy for its conservation.

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Meanwhile, amid the backlash, the Centre on Wednesday issued directions to states for a complete ban on granting new mining leases in the Aravallis. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has also directed the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) to identify additional areas and zones in the entire Aravallis where mining should be prohibited over and above the areas already prohibited for mining by the Centre.