The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognizance of concerns regarding the new definition of the Aravalli Hills and its potential environmental impacts.
A three-judge vacation bench, consisting of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justices J.K. Maheshwari, and A.G. Masih, will hear the matter on Monday.
The top court's decision to take up the case comes amid widespread protests over the Centre's newly notified definition of the Aravalli mountain range, based on a hundred-metre height criterion.
Under the new definition, an "Aravalli Hill" is a landform with an elevation of at least 100 metres above its surrounding terrain, and an "Aravalli Range" is a cluster of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other.
Last month, the Supreme Court also accepted the new definition.
However, environmentalists and opposition parties have argued that the new definition will open up vast stretches of the mountain range across Rajasthan, Haryana, and Gujarat to mining activities.
The Congress party has accused the government of launching a determined assault on ecological balance by weakening environmental protection laws and loosening pollution norms.
The party claims that more than 90 percent of the Aravallis will no longer be protected under the redefinition and will be opened up for mining and other activities.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, however, countered this argument, stating that no FSI study has been conducted to support the opposition's claims.