Supreme Court slams Haryana over Aravalli move

New Delhi:The Supreme Court Friday slammed the Haryana government for changing the law to allow construction activity in Aravalli hills in the face of court orders asking it to protect the last of Delhi’s green cover, and ordered the state to hold off on implementing the law for now.

Under amendments to the existing law, the state government permitted all kinds of construction activities in the last of the Aravallis in its territory, covering areas which lie within limits of any city. These include areas such as Faridabad, Gurugram, Nuh, Mahendragarh and Rewari.

The Haryana assembly recently passed a bill amending the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900. Green activists have expressed fear that it would leave over 28,000 acres of land vulnerable to destruction.

“We were apprehending that something of this sort would happen. It is shocking that you are trying to destroy the forest cover,” a bench led by Justice Arun Mishra observed. The bench asked the state government to hold off for now on implementing the law which it said was a “misadventure”.

The bench hinted that it may examine the legality of the law. “You are not above the law,” the bench, which also comprised Justice Deepak Gupta, said.

Under the checks and balances system enshrined in Constitution every law passed by the legislature can be judicially reviewed on constitutional parameters.