The Supreme Court of India firmly refused to grant any further time extensions to the high-powered expert committee tasked with establishing a unified geographic and ecological definition of the Aravalli mountain range, setting an inflexible completion deadline of November 30.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Joymalya Bagchi reprimanded administrative bodies for protracted procedural delays that have enabled illegal commercial quarrying across sensitive hill tracts. The bench noted that five decades of conflicting state interpretations have severely fragmented one of northern India’s most crucial ecological barriers against desertification.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union Environment Ministry, requested an additional four months citing ongoing high-resolution satellite ground-truthing across Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Delhi. The court rejected the request, emphasizing that interim delays serve only the interests of unlawful mining syndicates exploiting regulatory ambiguity.
The apex court made it clear that no requests for adjournment or time extension will be entertained beyond November 30, warning that the committee chairperson will be summoned in person if the comprehensive mapping dossier is not filed on time. The judges instructed the Forest Survey of India to provide full technological backing to expedite satellite terrain modeling.
Environmental groups and conservationists hailed the decisive judicial stance, pointing out that continuous quarrying has devastated vital wildlife migratory corridors connecting Sariska and Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuaries. The Supreme Court confirmed that all ongoing commercial mining leases within disputed Aravalli hill parcels will remain subject to the panel’s definitive ecological determinations.
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Sources:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/top-news-of-the-day-september-7-2026-owner-nabbed-after-delhi-building-collapse-nepal-floods-death-toll-reaches-1355/article71438631.ece