Supreme Court Takes Suo Motu Cognisance Of Aravalli Row On Monday

The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the controversial definition of the Aravalli hills and other issues linked to it on Monday, December 29.

The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the controversial definition of the Aravalli hills and other issues linked to it on Monday, December 29.

According to the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, and Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.G. Masih will hear the suo motu writ petition titled “In Re: Definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges and Ancillary Issues” on December 29.

The Top Court has taken up the issue on its own motion amid growing concerns over the protection of the ecologically fragile Aravalli range. 

Meanwhile, to stop the illegal mining and strengthen ecological protection, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has directed state governments to impose a “complete ban” on granting any new mining leases in the Aravallis.

The Ministry said the prohibition will apply uniformly across the Aravalli landscape, covering the mountain range from Delhi to Gujarat. It underscored that the objective is to “preserve the integrity of the range as a continuous geological ridge” and to put an end to unregulated mining activities.

On the other hand, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda on Saturday accused the Central government of systematically weakening the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and announced that the party will launch a nationwide campaign from January to protect the scheme and the rights of people dependent on it.

Speaking to ANI, Hooda said that the Modi government had dealt a "major blow" to MGNREGA by withdrawing even its own share of contribution, impacting millions of beneficiaries across the country.

"The MGNREGA scheme has been gradually weakened by this government. The central government has dealt a major blow to the MGNREGA scheme by withdrawing even its own share of contribution. People across the country are connected to MGNREGA, and the Congress Party will come forward to protect their rights," Hooda said.