The Supreme Court had on May 25 set up a five-member HPC to re-examine the definition of Aravallis. (File Photo)The Supreme Court Monday rejected the request made by the High-Powered Committee (HPC) constituted by it in the dispute over the Aravalli hill ranges, to give it six more months to submit a report, with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant wondering if it was waiting for him to retire.The bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, asked the Committee to submit its report by November 30.“They should straightaway have said give date after my retirement,” the CJI remarked as soon as the bench took up the matter for hearing.“Tell them to work day and night. Give report within two months. If they are incapable, let them tell us; we will reconstitute the committee,” the CJI told Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, who appeared for the Committee.She said the HPC is working on it and assured that the report will be submitted in two months.The CJI remarked that “it is in the interest of everyone that the Committee submits the report… so that whatever is permissible can be permitted, whatever is impermissible cannot be permitted.”What upset the bench was that a six-month extension would have meant that the report would not be submitted before the end of February, while CJI Kant demits office on February 9, 2027.Story continues below this adIn its order, the court said, “…the prayer for grant of six months cannot be accepted. The High-Powered Committee is directed to work day and night and submit the report in all circumstances by November 30, 2026. No further extension can be granted.”It added that “the HPC is well advised to submit an interim report meanwhile by segregating the specific issues…” so that they can be addressed on priority.Also Read | Row brews in Punjab as Centre bypasses state response to appoint High Court Chief JusticeSome of the intervenors submitted that there was no effective hearing and those being heard were not getting more than a few seconds to present their concerns.The CJI pointed out that the court had already said that the Committee must undertake a comprehensive consultation process and hear all stakeholders, including tribal communities in Rajasthan and Gujarat, whose interests may be affected.Story continues below this adThereafter, the bench listed the matter for hearing next on December 2.5-member High-Powered CommitteeThe Supreme Court had on May 25 set up a five-member HPC, with the director general of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) as ex-officio Chairperson, to re-examine the definition of Aravallis, following a furore after an earlier bench accepted the 100-metre elevation definition proposed by a committee constituted by the government on the orders of the top court.By its May 25 order, the Supreme Court asked the HPC to examine “whether the definition of the ‘Aravalli Hills and Ranges’, restricted exclusively to the 500-metre area between two or more Aravalli Hills, creates a structural paradox wherein the geographical scope of protected territory is significantly narrowed.”Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 26 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with the daily newspaper, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read More Tags:AravallisDelhi Supreme Court