On Friday, February 14, The Supreme Court criticised the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) for challenging the quashing of a show cause notice issued to the Isha Foundation over alleged environmental violations after a delay of two years.

A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh remarked that the petition appeared to be a "friendly match" between officials, seemingly aimed at securing the court’s endorsement for its dismissal.

According to the bench, “Mr advocate general, what prevented the authorities from approaching the court on time? There is a delay of 637 days in filing this petition, which is nearly two years. This is actually a friendly match where the bureaucrats want the stamp of the Supreme Court and the High Court on dismissal of the petition.” 

According to PTI, the Madras High Court set aside the show cause notice issued to the Isha Foundation, which accused it of constructing buildings between 2006 and 2014 without obtaining the required environmental clearances.

Justice Surya Kant told the law officer of the state, “When the state comes belatedly, we become suspicious. We start reading between the lines. How can you say a yoga centre is not an educational institution? If they are not going as per plan, then you can challenge the non-compliance, but you can’t be allowed to demolish the structure constructed in over a lakh yards. It is not some kind of hutment.”

The Supreme Court directed Tamil Nadu's Advocate General, PS Raman, to ensure that the Isha Foundation complies with environmental regulations now that it has established a yoga and meditation centre in the Velliangiri region of Coimbatore.

“Now that a yoga centre has been constructed and you are not saying that it is dangerous, then your concern must be to ensure that all environmental parameters are complied with like sunlight, greenery, sewage treatment plant. You can raise those issues. Everybody is obligated to comply with these norms,” it stated.

Representing the Isha Foundation, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi requested the Supreme Court to schedule the hearing after Shivratri, citing a major event planned at the centre.

“We have all necessary approvals. They are talking only about environmental clearance. The yoga centre is 80 per cent green. It’s one of the best centres in India,” he conveyed.

The Madras High Court upheld its decision, agreeing with the Isha Foundation’s argument that it falls under the Centre’s notification for an educational centre.

When questioned about the delay, PS Raman explained that the issue had been stuck between two state departments.

The bench then scheduled the hearing for after Shivratri.