Rights groups call for overhaul in hearings by Supreme Court-appointed panel on Aravallis

Published 10 August 2026 · local

Civil rights groups in Rajasthan have called for an overhaul in the process of hearings by the Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee on the Aravalli hill

Civil rights groups in Rajasthan have called for an overhaul in the process of hearings by the Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee on the Aravalli hill range to ensure “meaningful and inclusive” public participation in them. The committee is at present visiting the hill regions in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. The Supreme Court has directed the committee to conduct an independent review of the Centre’s report on the definition and delineation of the Aravalli hill range and address “critical ambiguities” in the findings. The panel will examine the overall ecology of the region and its impact on people’s lives and socio-economic conditions. “Such an assessment is simply not possible through what amounts to a token tour of nine districts in just four days,” the organisations said in a statement here.

The rights groups said any meaningful discussion on the Aravallis would remain incomplete without the participation of rural communities, farmers, pastoralists, and experts on water resources. ‘Mining lobby domination’ The committee has conducted public hearings in Alwar, Ajmer and other places. The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and other groups said the mining lobby had dominated the hearings and the administration did not make any meaningful effort to inform or involve ordinary people. For the hearing in Ajmer, a large number of mining operators and other stakeholders were reportedly brought in from Nagaur and Makrana. When the representatives of people’s groups objected to the manner of conducting the hearing, attempts were made to silence them, PUCL-Rajasthan president Anant Bhatnagar said.

Bhatnagar said the committee must travel to rural areas and mining-affected regions and directly examine the ground realities faced by local communities. It should also meet and directly assess the condition of silicosis patients whose lives had been devastated by mining, said the groups. The organisations also termed the composition of the high-powered committee inappropriate and demanded representation for all relevant stakeholders. “The chairperson and two members of the committee are representatives of the very department that had earlier recommended that only hills rising more than 100 metres should be considered part of the Aravallis,” they said. The rights groups demanded extension of the committee’s tenure, a transparent and meaningful process to ensure participation of the general public, a comprehensive study covering all districts falling within the Aravalli region, and field visits to rural and mining-affected areas.