‘Not a single inch’: Supreme Court halts Haryana’s Aravalli zoo safari project

NEw new delhi : The sublime margaret court on th placed on contain the Haryana government’s Aravalli zoo safari project in Gurugram, saying it could not proceed until there is a clear definition of the Aravalli hills—pending in another case pertaining to mining rights. The top court made it clear that “not a single inch of land” in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli range will be permitted to be used for any purpose until experts comprehensively examine all aspects of the issue.The court issued the directive while considering a plea filed by five retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, challenging tohe project.Posting the matter, along with the suo motu petition on the definition of Aravalli hills, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said, “Aravalli is a composite range. It neither starts in Haryana nor ends in Haryana. There is no scope of permitting the project unless there is a clear definition on Aravalli.”In December 2025, the Supreme Court initiated suo motu proceedings on defining the Aravalli hills, after a judgment passed by another bench on November 20, 2025, held that the Aravalli hills would encompass formations having an elevation of 100 metres or more from the local relief. This definition was criticised by experts, who contended that the perceived ambiguity and lack of clarity would harm the Aravalli ranges. The court kept its order in abeyance and invited suggestions on the names of independent experts, who may revisit the definition, keeping in mind the overall ecological integrity of the Aravalli range. This matter is listed for February 26.The state, represented by additional advocate general (AAG) Lokesh Singhal, informed the court that on January 21, the court had asked the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to submit its report on the project.The report, submitted on February 10 and accessed by HT, read, “The state government may be directed to place on record the revised detailed project report (DPR) along with geo-referenced maps, land particulars, details of statutory approvals/clearances, and relevant ecological and environmental assessments.”Singhal urged the court allow the preparation of the revised DPR, in terms of the CEC report.The bench, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, said, “We have already passed an order on October 8, 2025, that no further action with respect to the project be taken. The step to prepare DPR is a step forward in this direction.”The court further observed that, given an opportunity, the state may project a “rosy picture” by showing how trees and green cover will be enhanced in order to “trap” the court into passing a favourable order.“We are already examining the comprehensive issue regarding Aravalli hills. We are not going to grant permission over a single inch of land in this area unless we get an independent expert body to examine all these issues, for which we already passed an order requesting assistance from the Centre,” the bench said.The court directed the application to be listed along with the other Aravalli matters, which are likely to be listed on February 26.The applicants, represented by advocate Shibani Ghosh, contended that the safari will be a “death knell” for the ecologically fragile region. In their application, they alleged that the project would trigger large-scale construction of permanent infrastructure, including guest houses, staff quarters, animal enclosures, roads and utility networks, in a protected forest landscape.The court observed, “This application we do not know at whose instance it is filed. We will deal with it independently in the Aravalli matter.”The Haryana government had initially filed an affidavit in the matter, stating that the earlier proposal earmarking 10,000 acres for the project had been dropped, and it would only occupy approximately 3,300 acres.As per the project plan, 30% of the total demarcated space will be utilised for enclosures, and 70% area will be kept as a green zone. “Instead of death knell, the project will be conservation initiative for Aravallis as the area will be closed with boundary wall and ecological restored with local species of flora,” the state said.