SC Stays Aravalli Judgment, Forms New Expert Panel for Redefinition

• Supreme Court stayed its November 20 ruling defining Aravalli hills based on a 100-meter elevation criterion.
• The earlier judgment faced criticism for potentially allowing mining in ecologically sensitive parts of the Aravalli range.
• A three-judge bench, led by CJI Surya Kant, acknowledged the 100-meter rule might not capture the range's ecological continuity.
• The court will form a high-powered expert committee to reassess how the Aravalli range should be mapped and regulated.
• The government's mapping exercise based on the 100-meter criterion is now on hold, with the next hearing scheduled for January 21, 2026.

Why It Matters: India's top court rethinks Aravalli definition, pausing development to protect the ecologically sensitive range.