Supreme Court Upholds Madras HC Order Quashing TNPCB Notice Against Isha Foundation

The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the Madras High Court’s ruling, which nullified a show-cause notice from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation.

The notice had accused the foundation of violating environmental regulations during its construction in Coimbatore.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh ruled that the High Court’s judgment was justified and barred any coercive action against the foundation’s Yoga and Meditation Centre.

However, the court emphasized that the foundation must obtain necessary approvals from relevant authorities for any future expansions.

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The dispute stemmed from TNPCB’s notice questioning why legal action should not be taken against Isha Foundation for constructing multiple buildings between 2006 and 2014 without prior environmental clearance.

On 14 December 2022, the Madras High Court ruled that the foundation’s facilities in Coimbatore should be classified as ‘educational institutions’, making them eligible for exemption from prior environmental clearance requirements.

As a result, the court annulled TNPCB’s notice.

Challenging this verdict, TNPCB approached the Supreme Court, seeking to reinstate the show-cause notice.

However, the apex court dismissed TNPCB’s plea, affirming that the High Court’s decision was legally sound.

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