Supreme Court forms high-powered expert panel to re-examine Aravalli definition

📌 Summary:

• 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
• Reason: SC found "critical ambiguities" in the Centre's earlier findings
• Committee head: Kanchan Devi, Director General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun
• Committee deadline: comprehensive report by August 31, 2026
• Why definition matters: only land formally classified as "Aravalli" enjoys protections under the SC's earlier orders restricting mining and construction
• Background: The Aravallis are among the OLDEST mountain ranges in the world; they act as a natural ecological barrier between the Thar Desert and the Indo-Gangetic Plains, preventing desertification
• Continuing threats: illegal mining (sandstone, quartzite), real-estate encroachment, deforestation — particularly in Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi-NCR
• Earlier rulings: SC has repeatedly intervened (M.C. Mehta cases, 2018 Punjab Land Preservation Act case) to restrict mining and construction

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — Environment & Biodiversity; Conservation, Pollution & EIA; role of judiciary in environmental protection.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Aravallis are among the oldest fold mountains in the world (formed ~570 million years ago)
• Length: ~692 km across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi
• Highest peak: Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) on Mount Abu, Rajasthan
• Acts as a barrier against the eastward spread of the Thar Desert
• ICFRE = Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education; HQ: Dehradun; autonomous body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC)
• Committee head: Kanchan Devi (DG, ICFRE)
• Committee report deadline: August 31, 2026

🔑 Key Term: Aravalli Range — an ancient fold mountain range running NE–SW across western India; ecologically vital as a natural buffer against the eastward expansion of the Thar Desert and as a recharge zone for North-West India's groundwater.