Aravalli Explained: Why the Supreme Court's 100m Rule Is Being Questioned

The Supreme Court’s recent move to apply a uniform 100-metre height criterion to define the Aravalli range across four states has triggered widespread concern among environmentalists, experts, and activists. While the Centre argues that a common definition was necessary to prevent exploitation, critics say the rule is ambiguous, scientifically flawed, and risks excluding large parts of one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges from protection.

 

This report traces the long history of mining in the Aravallis, the origins of the 100-metre rule through the Richard Murphy landform classification, and how its implementation—especially surface-level measurement—has allegedly enabled illegal mining. Through ground reports, expert interviews, and past Supreme Court observations, the video examines whether a definition once rejected by the court itself can now safeguard the Aravallis—or quietly accelerate their destruction.