Written by Pathi Venkata Thadhagath
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday dismissed the PIL against the new Isha Yoga Center in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapura. The petitioner in January claimed that the construction of Isha Yoga Center is destroying the ecology of Nandi Hills which is 31kiometers away from the site. A bench headed by chief justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Ashok S Kinagi pulled up the petitioner for not coming to the court with clean hands.
Isha Foundation contended that the revenue lands were bought after paying proper considerations and obtaining due permissions to get them converted for educational purposes. The organization also clarified that it has not received any grant or land from the government and was compliant with the law.
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.”
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During the hearing, Isha pointed out that petitioners had not disclosed their antecedents and the filing of criminal cases against them and that it amounts to a violation of various Supreme Court judgements and the PIL rules framed by the High Court of Karnataka.
Chief Justice Prasanna Varale observed that the petitioner had talked about Mahatma Gandhi but he failed to follow the principles laid down by Mahatma Gandhi of following proper means.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai inaugurated a 112-foot tall Adi Yogi statue in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur, which is roughly 60 kilometers from Bengaluru, on January 16. The Adi Yogi statue in Chikkaballapura is a replica of a popular statue at Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore and Chief Minister Bommai said he was happy about the statue’s inauguration in Karnataka.
(With inputs from ANI)
