Redefining The Aravallis: Assessing The Supreme Courts 2025 Uniform 100-Metre Relief Standard And Its Implications For Mining And Conservation
- IJLLR Journal
- 7 days ago
- 1 min read
Vedansh Shukla, BBA LLB, Bharati Vidyapeeth New Law College, Pune
ABSTRACT
In December 2025, in an effort to formalize similar habitat features across different states in India, the Supreme Court settled on a nationwide geomorphological definition for what constitutes "Aravalli hills," defining these geographical formations as those rising at least 100m from surrounding topography. While this decision constitutes an important response to functional ambiguities associated with Aravalli-range designation—a vital habitat for protecting North India from desertification, depletion of groundwater resources, and biodiversity depletion—its impact may have already created new controversies about potential over-reaching in extinguishing habitat rights for low-relief ridges or hill formations well under 100m. On these latter points, while there is likely added value for enhanced objective definition and improved clarity for habitat conservation in North India, this decision may well escalate concerns about ongoing hazards from habitat fragmentation, habitat degradation, and habitat impact resulting from an aggressively expanding list of human activities. This paper examines the ecological, jurisprudential, and socio-economic facts underlying this legislation in reaching determinations about its potential habitat for North India.
