The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it will constitute an expert committee comprising domain experts to undertake an “exhaustive and holistic” examination of mining and related issues in the Aravallis.

The apex court also extended its order that kept in abeyance its November 20, 2025 directions accepting a uniform definition of Aravallis hills and ranges.

Amid a row over the definition of the Aravalli hills approved by it, the apex court had taken suo motu cognisance of the issue.

After the outcry over the new definition of Aravallis, the court had kept in abeyance its November 20 directions on December 29, saying there is a need to resolve "critical ambiguities" including whether the 100-metre elevation and the 500-metre gap between hills criteria will strip significant portion of the range of environment protection.

The top court had on November 20 last year accepted a uniform definition of the Aravalli Hills and ranges and banned the grant of fresh mining leases inside its areas spanning Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat until experts' reports are out.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi directed additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati and amicus curiae K. Parameshwar to suggest in four weeks the names of environmentalists and scientists who have expertise in mining so that an expert body can be constituted.

The committee will work under the direction and supervision of the court, the Supreme Court bench said.

During the hearing, the court was informed that illegal mining is taking place in several places. The bench took on record assurance of additional solicitor general K.M. Nataraj, appearing for the Rajasthan government, that no such unauthorised mining shall take place.

In its November 20 order last year, the court had accepted the recommendations of a committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on the definition of the Aravalli Hills and ranges to protect the world's oldest mountain system.

The committee had recommended that "Aravalli Hill" be defined as any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief, and an "Aravalli Range" will be a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other.