The Madras High Court on Friday granted time till July 11 for two office-bearers of Isha Yoga Centre to file an affidavit stating that the centre would not use a pond, located near a gas based crematorium constructed within its campus at Ikkaraai Boluvampatti village in Perur Taluk of Coimbatore district, for cremation purposes.
Justice T.V. Thamilsevli also granted interim anticipatory bail to the office-bearers, Venkatrasa Radhakrishnan and C.R. Dinesh Raja, till the next hearing of their petitions seeking advance bail in a criminal intimidation case booked on the basis of a complaint lodged by a Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) leader.
Representing the petitioners, senior counsel A.K. Sriram said, the crematorium had been constructed on a land belonging to the yoga centre and that it had nothing to do with the adjacent 44.3 acres which had been reportedly donated long ago by an individual named ‘America’ Gounder to the tribal people.
However, one S.T. Sivagnanan began instigating the villagers by accusing the yoga centre of attempting to encroach upon the land belonging to the tribals. When he attempted to prevent the construction of the crematorium, the yoga centre filed a civil suit in a Munsif court and obtained an injunction in April this year.
Thereafter, another adjacent land owner S.N. Subramanian attempted to stall the construction by filing a case in the High Court. Though his writ petition was still pending, a self proclaimed fact finding committee comprising TPDK leader K. Ramakirutinan descended in the yoga centre for an inspection, Mr. Sriram complained.
It was the commotion that ensued during such inspection, conducted on the premise that a nearby pond would be used to dump cremation waste, that led to the registration of a First Information Report on charges of criminal intimidation and damaging the windshield of complainant’s vehicle, the judge was told.
On the other hand, filing an intervening petition on behalf of the complainant to oppose the anticipatory bail plea, advocate M. Purushothaman told the judge that the real objective behind the construction of the crematorium itself was to encroach the 44.3 acres belonging to the tribal people.
He said, the crematorium was completely landlocked and that no one could enter or exit without stepping on the tribal land. He also claimed that there was absolutely no necessity for a new crematorium in the village because enough number of crematoriums were already existing around Ikkarai Boluvampatti.
He also alleged that there was a plan to dump the crematorium waste in the pond dug for the purpose. When Justice Thamilselvi wanted to know on whose land the pond was located, Mr. Sriram said, the land belonged to a private individual who was a supporter of Isha Foundation and it did not belong to the yoga center as such.
The judge asked the counsel to make sure that the two petitioners file an affidavit to that effect before the court by July 11 in order to get anticipatory bail and granted them interim relief till then.
