The High Court of Karnataka on January 13, allowed the unveiling ceremony of the 112-feet Adiyogi Shiva statue in Chikkaballapur district, near Bengaluru, to be held as per schedule. The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) that alleged that the construction undertaken by yoga and spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Foundation was on an environmentally sensitive area. The statue is part of the Foundation’s ‘Sadhguru Sannidhi’ centre in Chikkaballapur. The court said that the date of the unveiling had been decided based on the convenience of certain dignitaries attending it and that it had been decided before the PIL was filed.
A division bench made up of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Ashok S Kinagi accepted the Centre's assurance that no construction or deforestation will take place outside of the area required for the event. “We deem it appropriate to permit respondent number six and clarify that our order from January 11 would not come in the way of the scheduled function on January 15,” the court said, while hearing the public interest litigation. The state, the foundation, and 14 other respondents had received notices from the court ordering them to cease operations in the area until January 13 and asked for status quo to be maintained till the PIL hearing on January 11. The next hearing of the case will be on February 2.
The PIL filed by Kyathappa S and others from Chikkaballapur, near Nandi Hills, alleged that the business was being established in an environmentally sensitive area. In addition to demographic pressure brought on by the movement of vehicles and people, the petitioners stated that a gathering of around five lakh people would result in irreversible damage to flora and fauna. The PIL further said that Nandi Hills, where the rivers North Pinakini and South Pinakini originate, will be impacted. It also said that the Isha centre imported a metal statue of Shiva and put it together overnight, defacing the landscape in the process.
A statement issued by the Isha Foundation said, “After hearing arguments of both petitioners and the defence, the Karnataka HC clarified that Adiyogi Unveiling and the activities related to the same could be carried out the way it was planned.” The statement also said that the Sadhguru Sannidhi will also include Isha Home School, Isha Samskriti, a school for traditional Indian art forms, Isha Leadership Academy and two temples. The centre is set to open on January 15 in Avalagurki village of Chikkaballapur. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai are scheduled to attend the unveiling event.