Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said the threat to the Aravalli hills from a proposed "redefinition" remains, while questioning the independence of the Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee examining the issue, saying its composition raised concerns over its impartiality.

In a post on X, Ramesh noted that the Supreme Court had constituted a five-member committee to examine the issue afresh and in detail, but argued that it was "packed with officials or retired officials".

"The fact that it will be chaired by a serving officer of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change and will have as its Member Secretary another serving officer of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change is very disappointing and raises serious questions on how independent and unbiased the Committee can and will be," he said.

The former environment minister, however, clarified that his criticism was "no reflection on the distinguished members themselves", but stemmed from what he described as "the Modi regime's mindset, toolkit, and operating system".

"Clearly, the redefinition threat to the Aravalli ecosystem is still there," Ramesh said, recalling that there had been "enormous public, media, and civil society pressure" after the apex court's November 20, 2025 verdict.

He said that pressure now needed to be "sustained and intensified" and expressed hope that the committee would not end up endorsing the earlier judgment. "Simply put, there is no justifiable case whatsoever for a redefinition. The Forest Survey of India had itself rejected it in September 2025," he said.

Ramesh also said that on December 29, 2025, the Supreme Court had shown "great wisdom and courage" by recalling, suo motu, its November 20, 2025 verdict on the redefinition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges, which, according to him, would have proved ecologically disastrous.

The Supreme Court has constituted a high-powered committee to conduct an independent review of the Centre's report on the definition and delineation of the Aravalli hill range and directed the panel to address what it described as "critical ambiguities" in the findings.

The committee, headed by Kanchan Devi, Director General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), has been asked to submit a comprehensive report by August 31, 2026.

The move comes months after the apex court, on December 29, stayed the implementation of an October 2025 report prepared by a committee chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

At the time, the court had underscored the need for an independent body of domain experts to undertake a fresh scientific and ecological assessment.

In its order, the court said a "fair, impartial and independent expert opinion" was necessary, after consultations with all relevant stakeholders, to provide definitive guidance on several contentious issues concerning the protection of the Aravalli ecosystem.

Apart from Kanchan Devi, the committee comprises Dr Subhash Ashutosh, former Director General of the Forest Survey of India; Dr Rajendra Kumar Sharma, former Director of the Geological Survey of India; Brij Mohan Singh Rathore, former Joint Secretary in the Environment Ministry; and Prof Ashok K Bhatnagar, former Head of the Department of Botany at Delhi University.

The court has also appointed Professor Jagdish Krishnaswamy of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bengaluru, and Prof Laxmikant Sharma of the Central University of Haryana as special invitees who may be associated with the committee's work by the chairperson, as required.