The Supreme Court of India is set to hear crucial suo motu proceedings on Monday, December 29, 2025, focusing on the contentious definition of the Aravalli Hills. This hearing comes amid significant environmental concerns, as a new definition accepted by the court on November 20 could strip legal protection from a vast majority of this ancient mountain range.
Flight Turbulence: IndiGo Makes Major Schedule Cuts
In a significant operational shift, budget carrier IndiGo has reduced its schedule by approximately 130 daily flights across 94 routes. This decision follows directives from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which asked the airline to curtail operations after recent disruptions. An analysis of the new schedule reveals that the busiest national routes like Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Bengaluru remain unaffected. The cuts are concentrated on shorter, regional routes.
Bengaluru airport has seen the highest number of cancellations among major hubs, followed by Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad. The move indicates a strategic pullback from less profitable or operationally challenging short-haul sectors to ensure reliability on core trunk routes.
The Aravalli Conundrum: Definition Debate Reaches Apex Court
The core issue before the Supreme Court revolves around a new technical definition for the Aravallis. According to this definition, the hills comprise any landform raised 100 meters above the local relief. Environmental experts and a reported internal assessment by the Forest Survey of India warn that this change could have devastating consequences.
The assessment suggests 90% of the Aravalli range could lose its protective cover, opening ecologically sensitive zones to mining, construction, and other developmental activities. This threatens one of India's oldest mountain systems, which acts as a crucial green barrier against desertification for the National Capital Region.
Compounding the issue, The Indian Express reports that earlier in 2025, the Rajasthan government formally opened large tracts of urban hill terrain for "low-density" activities. By categorizing hills based on slope, it permitted projects like farmhouses, resorts, and solar power plants on slopes between 8 and 15 degrees, a move critics say will accelerate erosion.
Other Key Developments from the Edition
West Bengal SIR Hearings Paused: The Election Commission has put on hold all personal hearings for voters deemed "unmapped" to the 2002 electoral rolls in West Bengal. This pause in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise comes after local Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) found discrepancies, successfully tracing many "unmapped" individuals in hard copies of the old rolls.
Extortion Ring Busted in Delhi: A shocking crime syndicate led by a man named Rajkumar Meena, alias Raju, targeted Delhi Traffic Police personnel. The gang encouraged traffic violations, recorded interactions, and then extorted money and favors by threatening cops with doctored videos showing bribe-taking. An investigation has now unraveled this network of fear.
Tragic Racial Attack in Dehradun: A promising 24-year-old MBA student from Tripura, Anjel Chakma, lost his life following a brutal racial attack in Dehradun. On December 9, a group of juveniles assaulted Anjel and his brother, using racial slurs. The altercation escalated, leading to Anjel being stabbed. He succumbed to his injuries 17 days later, on December 26.
Sanskrit Finds a Voice in Pakistan: In a remarkable cultural revival, sociology professor Shahid Rasheed is teaching a formal Sanskrit course at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). This is reportedly the first time the language has been taught academically in Pakistan since the 1947 Partition. Rasheed discovered old Sanskrit texts in the library of MAO College, fueling his mission to bring the classical language back to the classroom.
Politics, AI, and Judiciary Insights
In Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman, the de facto leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has returned after 17 years in exile. With the BNP as a frontrunner for February's national elections, his return raises questions about the future of India-Bangladesh relations, given the party's historical anti-India stance.
In the health sector, AI-enabled tools are making strides, from apps diagnosing conditions based on cough sounds to telemedicine platforms expanding reach. These innovations promise quicker diagnoses and better healthcare access in remote areas.
Finally, in a recent Idea Exchange, retired Supreme Court Justice Abhay S. Oka emphasized the judiciary's role as a conscience keeper. He advocated for "zero tolerance" towards environmental law violations and stressed the need for courts to remain impartial, unaffected by popular or religious sentiments.
