The Times of India

Are Legal Definitions Erasing India's Natural Heritage? The Aravali Hills Case and Beyond

Environmental destruction in India often occurs through administrative reclassification, not physical violence. The Supreme Court's height-based definition for Aravali hills and Tamil Nadu's classification of rocky elevations as 'minor hillocks' illustrate how legal protection is withdrawn, leaving landscapes physically intact but legally unprotected. This quiet erasure diminishes constitutional environmental duties.