'Bad Optics': Experts Express Concern Over Choice of Chairperson For SC-Appointed High-Powered Committee on Aravallis
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday (June 3) constituted a high-powered committee (HPC) to obtain a "fair, impartial and independent” opinion and “resolve critical ambiguities” in the report on the definition of the Aravalli hills which was submitted in October last year, subsequently triggering severe criticism and protests from environmentalists and activists. The HPC has been asked to submit a comprehensive report by August 31, after examining the previous report that was submitted by a panel headed by the Environment Secretary.
However, experts have raised questions about the choice of the HPC chairperson, reported Indian Express.
Kanchan Devi, director general, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) is the ex-officio chairperson of the Supreme Court-appointed HPC. ICFRE is an autonomous council under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and is registered as a society with the MoEFCC minister as its president. Devi, who is a 1991-batch Indian Forest Service officer, reports to the ICFRE Board of Governors headed by the Environment Secretary.
Interestingly, the HPC will be reviewing the October 2025 report of the earlier Aravalli panel, which was chaired by the MoEFCC secretary, the person to whom Devi, in her capacity of DG ICFRE, reports, added the Indian Express report.
Conservationist Bittu Sahgal, who in the past has served in multiple government panels, termed the choice of the HPC chairperson as “bad optics”.
“Justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done,” he told the newspaper.
Other experts pointed out that in the past, HPCs have often been chaired by independent experts like Madhav Gadgil (Western Ghats), Ravi Chopra (Char Dham Project) and M.G.K. Menon (hazardous waste).
However, two newly-appointed HPC members told Indian Express that they didn’t expect any conflict with the ministry.
“We are supposed to take an independent look at the definition issue and not necessarily review the ministry’s report,” said one of them.
“The mandate is to evaluate the definition scientifically and good science leaves no room for opinions,” said the other person.
Apart from Devi, who will be the ex-officio chairperson, the HPC has four members including Subhash Ashutosh, former director general of the Forest Survey of India, Rajendra Kumar Sharma, former director of the Geological Survey of India, Brij Mohan Singh Rathore, former joint secretary in the Environment Ministry; and professor Ashok K. Bhatnagar, former head of the Department of Botany at Delhi University.
On November 20 last year, the Supreme Court had accepted a new definition of the Aravalli hill ranges that the Union Environment Ministry proposed: that only hills above 100 meters above the local terrain be considered as the ‘Aravalli Hills and Ranges’.
“Those hills and ranges comprising rocks of the Aravalli Supergroup and Delhi Supergroup, which originated during the Palacoproerozoid to Mesoproterozoic, having a relief higher than 100 meters (+5 Meters) above the surrounding terrain, may be defined as ‘Aravalli Hills and Ranges’,” the court order read.
Following widespread protests, particularly in Rajasthan, the Supreme Court had later stayed this order.
Citizens including environmentalists under the banner of the ‘Aravalli Virasat Jan Abhiyan’ – a collective formed to highlight importance of the Aravallis and its conservation had embarked on a 700-kilometre march along the Aravallis traversing four states to highlight the threats to the hill range and the local communities who live in the region.
This article went live on June third, two thousand twenty six, at forty-four minutes past four in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
