Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court today (February 9) dismissed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that intended to stall construction work at the Isha Yoga Centre in Chikkaballapura. The petition alleged that the Center in Chikkaballapura is destroying the ecology of Nandi Hills. However, the Isha Foundation of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudeva has built the statue in the village around 30 kilometers from Bengaluru.

Isha Foundation contended that it had bought the revenue lands after paying proper considerations and obtaining due permissions to get them converted for educational purposes. They further clarified that it has not received any grant or land from the government and that it was compliant with the law.

Also read: Karnataka HC Extends Status-Quo on Construction Work Around Isha’s Adiyogi Statue in Chikkaballapura

During the hearing, Isha Foundation further pointed out that petitioners had not disclosed their antecedents and the filing of criminal cases against them. It amounts to a violation of various Supreme Court judgments as well as the PIL rules framed by the High Court of Karnataka.

The Court pulled up the petitioner and said, “We are only expecting that if a petitioner is approaching the court and submitting and saying that he is espousing a public cause, he should approach the court with clean hands. That is the minimum expectation.”

Earlier, the HC had allowed the unveiling of the statue on January 15, but without carrying out any further construction work at the site. The division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Ashok S Kingai heard the PIL filed by local villagers against the installation of the statue by Isha Yoga Centre. The petitioners pointed to the court that on the day of the inauguration, firecrackers were burst, causing damage to the environment.