The Court had already decided against a total ban on mining in the Aravallis, pointing out that such a ban would lead to illegal mining.
The Supreme Court has looked into the problems surrounding how to define the Aravalli Hills on its own.
It's called "In Re: Definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges and Ancillary Issues." On December 29, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices JK Maheshwari and AG Masih will hear the case.
This mountain range is in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. The highest court had already agreed to a term that uses elevation to group landforms as part of the Aravalli Hills for the purposes of mining laws.
In May 2024, the Court looked into illegal mining in the Aravalli region and found that different states had different ideas about what the "Aravalli Hills/Ranges" meant. They then set up a group to investigate the problems.
The committee then turned in a report in October of this year with a list of ways to protect and maintain the Aravalli Hills. It said that the Aravalli Hills are any landform in the Aravalli areas that is 100 meters or higher above the surrounding terrain.
Further, it defined the Aravalli Range as “two or more Aravalli Hills found within a proximity of 500m from each other, measured from the outermost point on the boundary of the lowest contour line on either side."
A Bench of then CJI BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria had accepted the recommendations made by the Committee with regard to the definitions as well as ban of mining in core or inviolate areas. The Court decided against putting a total ban on mining activities in the Aravallis, observing that such prohibition leads to illegal mining activities, mafias and criminalisation.
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