Concerns Over Bias in Supreme Court-Appointed Committee Reviewing Aravalli Range Judgment

Over the past two days, scientists, environmentalists, policy experts, bureaucrats and conservation organisations across the country have submitted at least ten letters to the Chief Justice of India seeking modifications to a Supreme Court-appointed committee formed to review a judgment aimed at protecting the Aravalli Range. The signatories have alleged that the newly constituted panel is biased, lacks independent domain experts and includes members with potential conflicts of interest. They have sought its restructuring and expansion to include specialists in environmental science, ecology, hydrology, public health and livelihood studies. The committee was formed following a Supreme Court direction to review its earlier judgment on the Aravalli Range. Petitioners argue the existing framework could weaken environmental safeguards. At present, the committee comprises retired officials and senior bureaucrats and functions under the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Critics point out that the same administrative structure had earlier defined Aravalli hills in a manner that excluded smaller elevations from legal protection, enabling mining activity in those areas. Constituted on May 25, 2026, the new committee is headed by Kanchan Devi, Director General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE). Its members include former senior officials from the Forest Survey of India, Geological Survey of India and the MoEFCC, along with academics from Delhi University and the Central University of Haryana, and special invitees from research institutions. In her letter to the CJI, former IFS officer Prakruti Srivastava alleged that the committee’s structure raises concerns of impartiality, stating that its chairperson reports to the MoEFCC Secretary, creating a potential conflict of interest in reviewing a report linked to the same administrative hierarchy.