‘They’re waiting for my retirement': CJI Surya Kant junks Aravalli panel’s plea to extend deadline | India News

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Monday questioned whether a high-powered committee constituted by the Supreme Court to arrive at a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and range was seeking to stretch the exercise beyond his tenure, as the court rejected its request for time until February 28, 2027, and directed it to submit its final report by November 30.“They should have clearly asked for a date after my retirement… appears they are waiting for my retirement. We are not going to allow this,” the CJI told additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, who appeared for the Centre. CJI Kant demits office on February 9, 2027.Bench denies extension to Aravalli committeeA bench headed by the CJI and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana directed the five-member panel, headed by Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) director general Kanchan Devi, to “work day and night” and meet the fresh deadline. The court made clear that no further extension would be granted.“The high-powered committee has sought an extension till February 28, 2027, with the first stroke of the pen. We reject this plea… the HPC is directed to work day and night and submit its final report by November 30, 2026. We make it clear that no further extension shall be granted,” the bench said in its order.Also Read I ₹24 cr leachate plant awaits govt nod for over a year: MCG">Bandhwari landfill’s ₹24 cr leachate plant awaits govt nod for over a year: MCGThe court, however, acknowledged the complexity of the exercise and directed the committee to submit interim reports on specific issues as and when its examination progresses. These reports, it said, would allow the court to resolve individual questions without waiting for the entire exercise to conclude.The committee’s request for a six-month extension came after it told the court that its work had shown that the Aravalli landscape could not be adequately defined using a single terrain-based or elevation criterion.Row over defining Aravalli hillsIn an interim report filed on August 31, the panel said it was examining spatial, ecological, geological, hydrological, biodiversity, socio-economic and stakeholder evidence before arriving at its conclusions. Field visits and interactions with stakeholders had raised questions about ecosystem health, land-use change, hydrological systems, biodiversity, mining-induced vulnerability and landscape connectivity, it said.The Supreme Court’s insistence on a time-bound exercise comes against the backdrop of the controversy that erupted over the earlier definition of the Aravalli hills accepted by the top court in November 2025. An earlier committee constituted by the Union environment ministry had proposed that a landform in the Aravalli districts with an elevation of at least 100 metres from the local relief would qualify as an Aravalli hill, while two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other would constitute an Aravalli range.The definition triggered criticism from environmentalists and other stakeholders, who warned that large portions of the ecologically fragile landscape could fall outside the regulatory ambit and become vulnerable to mining and other activities. The Supreme Court subsequently took suo motu cognisance of the controversy. On December 29, 2025, it kept its November judgment in abeyance and ordered a fresh examination by a high-powered expert panel. The December order had questioned whether a height-based definition could adequately capture the ecological continuity of the Aravallis, including areas between hills and hillocks. It also questioned the scientific basis of a widely circulated claim that only 1,048 of 12,081 hills in Rajasthan met the 100-metre threshold, and whether a more exhaustive geological and scientific assessment was required.The court has since kept a complete halt on mining in the Aravalli region pending the outcome of the fresh exercise and its consideration by the court.Also Read I ‘Waiting for my retirement?’ CJI rejects Aravalli panel’s February deadlinePushes to hear all stakeholdersWhile rejecting the extension on Monday, the bench stressed that the committee must hear all affected stakeholders. It specifically directed the panel to hear tribal communities in Rajasthan and Gujarat, besides the governments of Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana, environmentalists, non-profit organisations, mining lease holders, project proponents, villagers, farmers and local communities whose livelihoods are linked to the Aravalli ecosystem.The court said the eventual course of action must be based on scientific evidence and consistent with environmental protection and sustainable development. The committee’s mandate, therefore, extends beyond drawing a technical boundary around the hills and ranges to examining the wider ecological and socio-economic character of the landscape.The panel’s interim assessment has described the Aravallis as a largely connected landscape with interlinked ecological, hydrological, biodiversity and socio-cultural values. It said the range comprises a network of small and large ridges and hill formations, many showing continuity or close spatial relationships. Even isolated hills and hillocks, it said, may have biodiversity, hydrological, ecological, aesthetic or cultural significance.The committee has consequently suggested that the Aravallis be assessed alongside forests, protected areas, sacred sites, Orans and traditional pastures, wetlands, critical catchments, groundwater recharge zones and areas of archaeological significance, besides ecological corridors connecting with adjoining landscapes.The panel is undertaking geospatial assessments and comparing its methodology with the Forest Survey of India (FSI)’s 2010 work and the conclusions of the earlier Centre-constituted committee. It has proposed validation by specialised agencies, including the National Remote Sensing Centre and the Indian Space Research Organisation, saying estimates of the area and number of hills could have significant ecological, regulatory and socio-economic consequences.Also Read I Centre plans native plantations in Gurugram’s Aravalli rangesThe five-member HPC comprises Kanchan Devi, former MoEFCC joint secretary Brij Mohan Singh Rathore, former Delhi University botany professor Ashok K Bhatnagar, former FSI director general Subhash Ashutosh and former Geological Survey of India director Rajendra Kumar Sharma. Jagdish Krishnaswamy, dean of the School of Environment and Sustainability at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, and Laxmikant Sharma, professor at the Central University of Haryana, are special invitees.The court has fixed December 2 for further consideration, by when the committee is expected to have begun submitting its issue-specific interim findings.