The Supreme Court refused to allow Haryana to proceed with its revised Aravalli jungle safari plan, saying no activity can be permitted until experts conclusively define the Aravalli range and resolve “critical ambiguities”.
The Supreme Court of India on Thursday firmly refused to allow any progress on the Haryana government’s proposed Aravalli jungle safari project, saying “no one can touch the Aravallis” until legal and scientific ambiguity around the definition of the Aravalli range is resolved by experts.
A Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi declined the Haryana government’s plea to submit a detailed project report (DPR) to the court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), holding that the matter must await the outcome of a broader case on the Aravalli range definition.
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Counsel for Haryana told the bench that the state had downsized its proposed zoo-safari project, initially planned over 10,000 acres, to a footprint of over 3,300 acres in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli hills in Gurugram and Nuh districts.
The government sought permission to place its revised DPR before the CEC and the Central Zoo Authority for expert scrutiny.
However, the court was unrelenting. “We are not experts. The experts will decide the definition of Aravalli.
Till the definition of the Aravalli range is finalised, we will not allow anyone to touch the Aravallis,” the CJI said, underscoring that the ancient hill system stretches across states, from Gujarat and Rajasthan to Haryana and Delhi, and that piecemeal approaches risk undermining ecological safeguards.
0The bench noted that permitting even the submission of the DPR could lead to the CEC presenting a “very rosy picture,” glossing over the fragile ecology of the area. It said that the zoo-safari issue will be considered alongside the larger case on defining and protecting the Aravalli range.
The state government’s plan, pitched as a blend of wildlife conservation, eco-tourism, and habitat restoration, had drawn fierce criticism from environmentalists and forest experts who argue that the fragile and already degraded Aravalli landscape is unsuited for large-scale commercial or tourism infrastructure.
This is not the first time the Supreme Court has intervened in the Aravalli controversy. In October 2025, the court had earlier stayed work on the proposed mega zoo safari project, flagged as potentially the world’s largest safari park.
That proposal envisaged big cat zones, vast bird and reptile habitats, biomes, and botanical gardens on thousands of acres of forest land.
The legal tussle over the definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges goes back to a contentious Nov 2025 order, where the court accepted an expert panel’s definition based on elevation (100m above local relief) and proximity of hill clusters (within 500m).
Critics warned this could strip protection from large swathes of ecologically vital land, prompting protests and a court stay.
The apex court’s ruling on Thursday reinforces its cautious, science-led approach to environmental adjudication, signalling that no developmental project, even one backed by state authorities, can proceed in the region without clear, expert-validated ecological criteria.
Published: 13 Feb 2026, 10:23 am IST
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