Top court pauses its judgment on Aravalis, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• The Supreme Court has paused its November judgment on the definition of the Aravali range following public concern.
• A proposed panel will conduct a multi-temporal evaluation of the environmental impacts of the definition.
• The court seeks clarification on whether the restrictive demarcation has broadened the scope of ‘non-Aravali’ areas.
• The court emphasized that the definition of the Aravalis must be nuanced and measured to maintain the ecological integrity of the entire range.

Detailed Insights:

• The restrictive definition upheld by the court had sparked concerns about potential unbridled mining in the Aravali hills.
• The Aravali range acts as a green barrier against the eastward expansion of the Thar desert, and helps reduce pollution in cities like Delhi.
• The court wants to ensure that unregulated mining and disruptive activities do not continue in ecologically contiguous terrains excluded by the definition.
• The court indicated that the definition of the Aravali range must be based on exhaustive scientific and geological estimations.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Aravali Range: A mountain range in Northwestern India, running approximately 692 km (430 mi) in a southwest direction, starting near Delhi, passing through Southern Haryana and Rajasthan, and ending in Gujarat.
• Ecological Integrity: The ability of an ecosystem to support and maintain ecological processes and a diverse community of organisms.
• Suo Motu: A Latin term meaning "on its own motion," referring to a court taking up a case without a formal request from a party.