The Aravalli Reclassification: Analyzing The Legislative Implications Of The Supreme Court’s Unified Definition
- IJLLR Journal
- Jan 16
- 1 min read
Aditi Singh, Faculty of Law, Jai Narain Vyas University
Tanveer Khan, Faculty of Law l, Jai Narain Vyas University
I. Introduction
The Aravalli Range, one of the world's oldest geological formations, acts as the primary ecological sentinel for Northwest India. Extending approximately 692 kilometres from Gujarat to Delhi, it serves as a formidable natural bulwark, curbing the eastward expansion of the Thar Desert and mitigating the impact of dust storms on the Indo-Gangetic plain. Beyond its role as a topographical barrier, the range functions as a critical groundwater recharge zone for the National Capital Region (NCR) and its contiguous districts, sustaining the hydrological integrity of a region facing acute water stress. Despite its existential importance, the Aravallis have been subjected to decades of systemic degradation, driven by a lack of cohesive legislative protection and the absence of a uniform statutory definition of what constitutes an "Aravalli hill."
The Jurisprudential Vacuum
Historically, environmental governance in this region has been hampered by "regulatory fragmentation." In the absence of a centralized federal statute specifically for the Aravallis, the responsibility for identification and conservation fell upon individual state governments. This created a fertile ground for "definition-shopping," where states like Haryana and Rajasthan applied divergent, often sub-standard criteria in their revenue records. By classifying ecologically sensitive hill tracts as Gair Mumkin Pahar (uncultivable land) or "wastelands," state administrations were able to facilitate industrial and mining interests, effectively bypassing the stringent conservation mandates of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. This administrative leeway led to the irreversible destruction of ridges and the disruption of vital wildlife corridors, as land use was determined by revenue potential rather than ecological value.
