Supreme Court Guidelines on Aravalli Conservation 2025

In December 2025, the Supreme Court accepted the MoEFCC Committee’s recommendations, establishing a standardized definition for the Aravalli Hills.

The guidelines aim to strictly regulate mining across Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi.

Key Regulatory Measures

Measure	Details
Standardized Definition	“Aravalli Hills” are landforms that are at least 100m above local relief.
Aravalli Ranges	“Aravalli Ranges” are clusters where hills are within 500m of each other.
Mining Moratorium	The Court imposed an interim ban on new mining leases until the Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM) is finalised.
Inviolate Zones	Mining is prohibited in Tiger Reserves, Eco-Sensitive Zones, and within 500m of Ramsar wetlands or CAMPA sites.
Strategic Exceptions	Mining is permitted only for Critical, Strategic, and Atomic minerals under the MMDR Act, subject to surveillance such as drones and CCTV.

Key Facts

Fact	Details
Nodal Agency	ICFRE, Dehradun has been tasked with preparing the landscape-wide MPSM, modelled after the Saranda Forest plan.
Scientific Basis	The new definition uses the Richard Murphy landform classification.
Geographic Shield	The Aravallis act as a primary barrier preventing the eastward expansion of the Thar Desert.
Mapping Requirement	All hills must be marked on Survey of India toposheets before any activity is considered.

Indian Sites & Their Status

World Heritage Site	Earlier Status (2020)	Current Status (2025)
Sundarbans National Park	Good with Some Concerns	Significant Concern
Manas National Park	Significant Concern	Significant Concern
Western Ghats	Significant Concern	Significant Concern
Great Himalayan National Park	Good	Good with Some Concerns
Kaziranga National Park	Good	Good with Some Concerns
Keoladeo National Park	Good	Good with Some Concerns
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks	Good	Good with Some Concerns
Khangchendzonga National Park	Good	Good

PT Facts

Aravalli Range: One of the oldest fold mountain systems in the world.
ICFRE: Stands for Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education.
MoEFCC: Stands for Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Ecological Role: Aravallis support groundwater recharge and desertification control.

Source:

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