NEW DELHI: Acclaimed scientists, environmentalists, policy experts, bureaucrats, and conservation organisations across the country have submitted at least 10 letters in the past two days to the Chief Justice of India seeking modifications to the new Aravalli committee composition. In the letters, the authors alleged that the new committee is biased, has conflicts of interest, and lacks independent domain experts. They demand that the committee be expanded with a broader range of expertise in fields of environmental science, ecology, hydrology, public health, and livelihood issues.
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 Dr Subhash Ashutosh, former Director General of the Forest Survey of India; Dr Rajendra Kumar Sharma, former Director of the Geological Survey of India; Brij Mohan Singh Rathore, former Joint Secretary, MoEFCC; and Ashok K Bhatnagar, former Head of Botany at DU. They report to the secretary of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The same secretary’s committee had previously defined the Aravalli Hills as any landform that rises 100m or more above local terrain. This definition permits mining and was the basis for the SC’s final order, which has faced significant criticism.
Prakruti Srivastava, former IFS officer, writes in her letter to the CJI, “The head of the ICFRE reports directly to the Secretary, MoEFCC, and is therefore unlikely to be able to take an impartial view of a report prepared by a committee chaired by the same secretary. Given that the incumbent holds the post of secretary, MoEFCC, they may be in a position to influence the new report, raising a serious conflict of interest.”
Dr Ravi Chopra, an acclaimed scientist and environmentalist who chaired the previous two SC committees, expressed concerns based on his past experiences. He noted that retired officials and scientists from government-funded institutions on such committees rarely oppose the views of the ruling government.
The conservation organisation Vanashakti, which fights legal battles to protect natural ecosystems across India, contended that the new committee does not meet the standards of a high-powered expert committee. Furthermore, the three retired foresters on the committee lack experience in the core Aravalli states of Haryana and Rajasthan.
