The apex court took the matter on suo motu basis, after a hue and cry by the public, environmentalists, civil society members and others expressing their apprehensions about the revised definition of the Aravalli hills, which may cause illegal mining and impact groundwater level among others.

In its judgment on November this year, the bench led by the then Chief Justice BR Gavai (Now retired) accepted the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) committee's recommended operational definition for the Aravali Hills and Ranges in the context of mining.

The Supreme Court had, in its verdict, emphasised that uncontrolled mining here poses a “great threat to the ecology of the nation” and directed uniform criteria to safeguard it. Their conservation is thus vital for ecological stability, cultural heritage, and sustainable development.

The court had earlier directed the Centre to prepare a comprehensive Management Plan for Sustainable Mining before any new mining activity is permitted in the ecologically fragile region.

Aravalli Hills are among India’s oldest geological formations, stretching from Delhi through Haryana, Rajasthan, and into Gujarat. Historically, they have been recognised across 37 districts by state governments, with their ecological role noted as a natural barrier against northern desertification and a protector of biodiversity and water recharge.

In the same issue, social and environmental activist & lawyer Hitendra Gandhi wrote a letter to CJI Kant, seeking review of 100 Metre test rule pertaining to Aravalli issue. Gandhi also wrote a letter to the President of India in this regard.

"Low ridges, water recharge areas have to be protected. 100 Metre rule risks excluding large ecologically integral parts that may not meet numerical height threshold but remain functionally critical," the letter of Gandhi said.