Court orders probe into legality of Isha Foundation building

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: It has come to light that the Madras High Court (HC) has ordered an investigation into the legality of the construction of ‘Sadhguru’ Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation’s premises in Coimbatore.

The bench consisting of judges Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice PD Audikesavulu on August 18 asked the district town and country planning department to act against irregularities, if any.

The infrastructure under the scanner is the 150-acre premises in Ikkarai Boluvampatti in Coimbatore, inclusive of a 112-foot Adiyogi statue.

The statue was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2017 even as deputy director of town and country planning R Selvaraj held that the campus was built near the foothills of Velliangiri without his department’s approval.

However, Velliangiri Hill Tribal Protection Society (VHTPS) president P Muthammal filed a petition challenging the construction of the building.

She said that she had been harassed for filing the plea and forced to flee her home at the Muttathu Ayal area in Ikkarai Boluvampatti.

No NOCs sought: Report

A damming status report filed by the Joint Director (JD) of town and country planning Thiru R Rajaguru was produced before the court.

The government’s attorney R Anitha was also given access to the report, which claimed Isha Foundation didn’t seek necessary permission or obtain a No Objection Cer tificate (NOC) for the construction.

The report added that of the 20.805 hectares of the campus, 15.53 acres was wetland and 5.275 hectares of it was dry.

“No record has been found in this office regarding collector NOC, pollution control board NOC, hill area conservation authority NOC, fire department NOC etc. On verifying with Ikkarai Boluvampatti panchayat, it is submitted that no permission has been issued by the panchayat president. It is submitted that no permission has been issued by the collector NOC for the religious building,” the report said.

In response, the court gave the JD permission to take the necessary permission to remove the infrastructure, if found to be illegal.

“The joint director, district town and country planning, shall consider the documents that may be placed by the petitioner and Isha Foundation and shall verify about the permission in force, and if the same is not in order, shall take further steps expeditiously with regard to the building that may not be constructed in accordance with the plan and no objection certificate,” the order said.