The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to permit Haryana to proceed with its proposed Aravalli Zoo Safari project, declaring that no activity will be allowed in the ecologically fragile range until experts finalise the definition of the Aravalli hills.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, made it clear that the court would not allow “anyone to touch the Aravallis” until scientific clarity is established.

Court Says Experts Must Decide First

Haryana had sought permission to submit a revised Detailed Project Report for the safari project to the Central Empowered Committee. The state informed the court that the project area had been reduced from about 10,000 acres to over 3,300 acres.

However, the bench declined the request, stating that determining the scope of the Aravalli range is a matter for experts. The court emphasised that the hills are not confined to a single state but stretch across multiple regions including Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The judges said the issue of the safari project would be considered only when the main case concerning the Aravalli range is heard after expert findings are available.

Project Stalled Amid Environmental Concerns

The proposed zoo safari, touted as potentially the world’s largest, aimed to create habitats for big cats and hundreds of species of birds, reptiles and butterflies in the Aravalli region of Gurugram and Nuh districts.

Environmentalists and former Indian Forest Service officers had opposed the plan, warning that large-scale construction could cause irreversible damage to the already degraded ecosystem.

In October last year, the Supreme Court had already put the project on hold while examining the environmental implications.

Definition Dispute At Core Of Case

The current dispute revolves around how the Aravalli hills should be defined for legal protection. Earlier, the court accepted a uniform definition based on recommendations from the Environment Ministry, including criteria such as elevation and proximity between hills.

However, public criticism and concerns about potential regulatory gaps led the court to reconsider, noting ambiguities that could leave significant portions of the range vulnerable.

The court has proposed a high-powered expert panel to resolve these issues and ensure that environmental safeguards are not diluted.

Until the matter is settled, the Supreme Court has maintained strict protection over the region, including restrictions on mining and other activities, reinforcing its stance that the ecological integrity of the Aravalli system must not be compromised.

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