In the echo chambers of social media and opposition rhetoric, the Aravalli Hills have become the latest casualty of a manufactured outrage. A Supreme Court ruling on November 20, 2025, adopting a uniform definition for the range, has been deliberately twisted into a narrative of “eco-destruction" and a “death warrant" for 90% of these ancient hills. But strip away the hyperbole, and the facts reveal a different story: this isn’t plunder but protection.

Let’s start with the truth behind the ruling. The Aravallis span across Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi and have long suffered from inconsistent definitions across states, fuelling illegal mining. A petition on this dates back to 1985, highlighting unchecked exploitation. In May 2024, the Supreme Court formed a committee under the Union Environment Ministry to standardise the definition, ensuring uniform norms in all four states and 39 districts. The panel, including state forest secretaries and experts from the Forest Survey of India (FSI) and Geological Survey of India (GSI), recommended that only elevations rising 100 metres above local terrain—or clusters within 500 metres—qualify as Aravalli hills or ranges.

This isn’t a new “loophole" concocted by the Modi government. It’s rooted in a definition established under Ashok Gehlot’s Congress regime, based on a 2002 committee report and Richard Muff’s 1968 landform classification. The SC order extends this uniformly, adding safeguards like mandatory mapping on Survey of India toposheets before any........

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