Supreme Court refuses to entertain Aravalli safari plea, says range will not be touched

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday asserted that it would not allow anyone to touch the Aravalli range and refused to entertain any request related to the proposed Aravalli Zoo Safari project in Haryana at this stage.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, made it clear that no permission would be granted for the project until the court takes a comprehensive view in the main matter concerning the definition of the Aravalli range.

The court was hearing a plea by the Haryana government seeking permission to submit a revised detailed project report for the proposed jungle safari in Gurgaon and Nuh districts to the court-appointed Central Empowered Committee. The state said the project area had been scaled down from 10,000 acres to over 3,300 acres.

The Chief Justice said the court would not permit any activity unless a scientific and holistic report prepared by an impartial group of experts satisfied the court. He added that an expert body would be constituted based on suggestions from the Union government.

The bench said it would consider the safari project only after the expert committee submits its opinion in the larger matter. The remarks referred to the court’s December 29, 2025, order that kept in abeyance its earlier judgment on defining the Aravalli hills.

The matter arises from a petition filed by five retired Indian Forest Service officers and the NGO People for Aravalis, who have alleged that the safari project would cause severe ecological damage to the fragile Aravalli range.