Opposition Criticises SC Aravalli Order, Calls Hills ‘Lifeline, Shield for NCR’
Opposition slams Supreme Court order risking ecological shield.
The Supreme Court’s November 20, 2025, order accepting a revised elevation-based definition of the Aravalli hills has triggered widespread condemnation from opposition parties, environmental activists, and former leaders, who warn it could open vast areas to mining and commercial exploitation. The new criteria define Aravalli hills as landforms above 100 metres with specific local relief, potentially excluding lower elevations from protection.
Opposition figures, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, described the Aravalli range as a vital natural barrier preventing desertification and mitigating pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. Yadav emphasised that preserving the range is essential for Delhi’s survival, warning that further degradation would exacerbate smog, biodiversity loss, extreme temperatures, and health crises affecting residents and the capital’s medical tourism sector.
Protests erupted in Gurugram, Haryana, and Udaipur, Rajasthan, where activists displayed banners proclaiming “Save Aravalli, Save the Future” and highlighted the range’s role as one of the world’s oldest mountain systems. Demonstrators expressed alarm that the court’s endorsement of the Environment Ministry committee’s recommendations threatens irreversible ecological damage.
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In Rajasthan, Congress Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully called the Aravalli the state’s lifeline, crediting it with halting desert expansion towards Delhi. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot joined the criticism by adopting the #SaveAravalli campaign on social media, while accusing the government of hypocrisy in promoting tree-planting initiatives alongside policies enabling deforestation.
The BJP rejected the accusations as misleading, with senior leader Rajendra Rathore defending the order as rooted in a 2002 definition approved during Gehlot’s tenure. He asserted the government’s commitment to protection and noted past mining tenders issued under previous Congress administrations, predicting public clarity once full facts emerge.
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