CJI asks Aravallis panel if it is waiting for him to retire; SC declines six-month extension

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to give a six-month extension to a committee it had constituted to submit a report on defining the Aravallis, The Indian Express reported.

Chief Justice Surya Kant questioned the panel’s request for time till February 28 to submit its conclusions, asking whether it was waiting for his retirement.

However, the bench comprising Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana allowed the committee to submit its report by November 30, two months after the August 31 deadline.

The committee, formed in May, was tasked with defining the Aravallis after the Supreme Court’s adoption of a definition by a Union environment ministry panel led to widespread protests, particularly in Rajasthan. The definition recognised only hills with an elevation of 100 metres or more as part of the Aravallis and was adopted by the court in November 2025.

The court stayed its decision in December amid concerns that the changed definition of the Aravallis could lead to unregulated mining and severe environmental degradation.

During the hearing on Monday, Kant said that the committee had “basically asked for an adjournment till my retirement”, Bar and Bench reported. His tenure will end on February 9.

“They should straightaway have said give date after my retirement,” The Indian Express quoted him as having remarked.

The chief justice told the committee to “work day and night”, and submit...

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