SC Bars Aravalli Range States from Renewing Mining Leases Without Approval

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stated that states within the Aravalli hill range will remain prohibited from granting final permission for the renewal of mining leases without first obtaining approval from the apex court. The Aravalli range extends across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.

While hearing two new applications for the renewal of mining licenses, the top court directed the concerned state governments to process the renewal proposals, including obtaining necessary statutory clearances from various authorities.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan observed, “… we further direct that no final permission shall be granted for the renewal of mining leases without obtaining prior approval from this court.”

The Supreme Court essentially reaffirmed its May 9 order, which allowed Aravalli range states to consider and process applications for the grant and renewal of mining leases, including obtaining statutory clearances. However, no final permission for mining in the hill range, as defined in the Forest Survey of India (FSI) report of August 25, 2010, could be granted without the court’s permission.

The court clarified that this order should not be interpreted as prohibiting legal mining activities conducted under valid permits or licenses. It also noted issues with varying definitions of the Aravalli hills/ranges adopted by different states. To address this, the apex court directed the formation of a committee, including the secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, to establish a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and range.