The Madras High Court on 24 February 2025 dismissed a petition seeking to halt the upcoming Mahashivratri celebrations at the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore’s Velliangiri foothills. The event, scheduled for the night of February 26-27, 2025, will proceed as planned after a Division Bench comprising Justices S.M. Subramaniam and K. Rajasekar found no grounds for intervention.
The court relied on a submission from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), which confirmed that Isha Foundation had complied with pollution norms. The board stated that seating arrangements for the 2024 Mahashivratri celebrations were made for 60,000 people and that environmental regulations were strictly followed.
The petitioner, S.T. Sivagnanam, a neighboring landowner, had claimed that seven lakh people attended the 2024 event, raising concerns over sewage management and noise pollution. However, the TNPCB countered this claim, citing an official capacity of 60,000. It assured the court that sewage from the event would be handled efficiently. The Isha Yoga Centre operates four sewage treatment plants (STPs) with a total capacity of 1.725 million liters per day (MLD), deemed sufficient for the 6,000 residents and 5,000-10,000 daily visitors. For the 2025 celebrations, temporary toilets will be installed, and additional sewage will be transported to Coimbatore Corporation’s STP.
Regarding noise pollution, the TNPCB reported that a survey conducted at five locations, including the petitioner’s premises, during the 2024 celebrations found noise levels within the permissible limit of 75 decibels. A similar assessment will be conducted for the 2025 event. Isha Foundation’s legal representative, senior counsel Satish Parasaran, assured the court that cone speakers were not used on the premises and that noise limiters were in place to regulate sound levels.
The Bench observed that environmental regulations must be strictly followed, as public health and fundamental rights are of paramount importance. However, since the TNPCB confirmed that Isha Foundation adhered to pollution control norms in 2024, the court saw no reason to interfere with the 2025 celebrations based on mere apprehensions.
The judges also noted that a similar petition filed by Sivagnanam before the 2024 Mahashivratri festival remains pending before the High Court.
(With inputs from The Hindu)
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