Supreme Court to Form Expert Panel on Aravalli Definition, Halts Mining

• Supreme Court to constitute an expert panel to define the boundaries of the Aravalli region.
• All mining activities and previously granted permissions in the Aravalli region have been halted, maintaining a status quo.
• The Court noted that even the Supreme Court building could historically be considered Aravalli, but defining it as such now would be a misnomer.
• The decision follows the Court putting in abeyance its earlier acceptance of the Central Environment Ministry’s 100-meter height criterion for Aravalli definition.
• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued directions for a complete ban on new mining leases in the Aravallis to preserve its integrity.