The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the Madras high court’s 2022 decision quashing a show cause notice against Isha Foundation, founded by spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, over alleged unauthorised construction at its Coimbatore campus. The court also restrained the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) from taking any coercive action against the yoga and meditation center of Isha Foundation regarding the constructions.
A bench of justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh noted that the foundation assured compliance with all legal requirements and directed that any future expansion must be undertaken only with the necessary permissions.
“If there is any need for expansion in future, let permission be sought from the competent authority,” the court held.
The ruling comes days after the Supreme Court pulled up TNPCB for its delay in approaching the court against the high court’s December 2022 order. The top court questioned why the state body waited more than two years before filing an appeal.
“What prevented authorities from approaching this court in time? When the State comes belatedly, we become suspicious,” the bench observed on the day.
The legal dispute originated from a show cause notice issued to Isha Foundation on November 19, 2021, citing alleged construction at Velliangiri Hills, Coimbatore, between 2006 and 2014 without obtaining mandatory environmental clearance (EC). However, the Madras high court quashed the notice, recognising the foundation as an “educational institution” and exempt from EC requirements under a 2014 clarification by the Centre.
During earlier proceedings, the Supreme Court also questioned the state’s argument that Isha Foundation did not qualify as an educational institution.
“How do you say a yoga centre is not an educational institution? If they are not going as per plan, then you can assail… but you can’t be allowed to demolish construction which was raised before your eyes,” the bench remarked. The foundation, represented by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, defended the construction, asserting that all necessary approvals were in place.
The controversy stems from Isha Foundation’s construction activities dating back to 1994. The foundation has consistently argued that these constructions predate the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification of 2006, which mandates prior environmental clearance.
Additionally, the Centre issued a 2014 clarification exempting educational institutions, industrial sheds, and hostels from EC requirements. The Union government reaffirmed this stance in 2022 by issuing a memorandum that broadly defined “educational institutions” to include those engaged in training essential for mental, moral, and physical development — a category that the foundation claims it falls under.
The Tamil Nadu government, however, had opposed this characterisation, arguing that while the exemption applied to about 10,000 square meters of Isha’s premises, the foundation’s overall built-up area exceeded 2 lakh square meters. The state maintained that large-scale constructions without environmental approvals could not be shielded under this exemption.
Rejecting the state’s opposition, the Madras high court ruled in favor of Isha Foundation, concluding that its focus on yoga and group development activities met the criteria for an educational institution.
This is not the first time Isha Foundation has been involved in legal disputes in Tamil Nadu. In October 2024, the Supreme Court had closed proceedings on allegations of illegal confinement at the foundation’s Coimbatore ashram. The case, brought by a retired college professor, alleged that his daughters were being held against their will. However, the court dismissed the petition after both daughters — aged 39 and 42 — confirmed that they were staying voluntarily.
At the time, the court had cautioned against using legal proceedings to tarnish institutions, observing that the habeas corpus plea had become redundant given the daughters’ unequivocal statements.