SC denies Aravalli panel 6-month extension, orders report by Nov 30

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant a six-month extension sought by a high-powered expert committee examining the definition and demarcation of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges, with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant taking exception to the panel seeking a deadline that would fall after his retirement. The committee had sought time until February 28, 2027, to submit its comprehensive report, saying the complexity of the Aravalli ecosystem and the need to consult various stakeholders required more time. A three-member bench headed by CJI Kant rejected the request and directed the committee 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," CJI Kant verbally remarked. The CJI is scheduled to demit office on February 9, 2027. "Tell them to work day and night. Give report within two months. If they are incapable, let them tell us; we will reconstitute the committee," the CJI, speaking for the bench, told the counsel for the Centre who appeared for the committee. The counsel submitted that the committee was working on the report and assured the court that it would be submitted in two months. The CJI verbally remarked that "it is in the interest of everyone that the committee submits the report... so that whatever is permissible can be permitted, whatever is impermissible cannot be permitted". The panel, headed by Kanchan Devi , director general of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), has been tasked with undertaking a comprehensive exercise to arrive at a uniform definition of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges and examine issues relating to their delineation, conservation and management. The Supreme Court also directed the committee to hear all stakeholders, including tribal communities in Rajasthan and Gujarat, whose interests may be affected by the exercise. It permitted the panel to submit issue-specific interim reports so that urgent aspects of the matter could be considered without waiting for completion of the entire exercise. The fresh exercise assumes significance as the Supreme Court had earlier put on hold its November 2025 ruling accepting a definition based on a 100-metre elevation criterion, amid concerns that it could exclude large portions of the ecologically fragile Aravalli Range from protection. The case will come up for resumed hearing on December 2.