Supreme Court Protects Aravalli Plantation Land, Holds Earmarked Afforestation Areas Cannot Be Used for Mining

Case Snapshot

Case Name: Sunder Singh & Anr. v. M/s Satish Kumar Garg & Company & Ors.

Citation: 2026 INSC 855

Bench: Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana

Date of Judgment: July 29, 2026

Area of Law: Environmental Law, Mining Law, Forest Conservation

The Judgment in One Line

Land earmarked for afforestation under the Aravalli Project cannot be used for mining merely because actual plantation has not yet taken place.

Why This Judgment Matters

This landmark judgment establishes that lands identified for afforestation must be protected regardless of whether actual plantation has been completed. The Court held that permitting mining on such lands would defeat the very purpose of afforestation drives and create a perverse incentive to delay planting. The judgment quashes the High Court's order, cancels the No Objection Certificate and Environmental Clearance, and directs the State to terminate all mining leases on lands earmarked for Aravalli plantation. The decision reinforces the principle that ecological protection cannot be circumvented by arguing that trees have not yet been planted.

Background

The mining lessee was granted a mining lease for 79.32 hectares in Village Musnota, Haryana, on April 29, 2002. An NOC was initially granted by the Forest Department on September 16, 2002, rec

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