Karnataka HC orders status quo on Adiyogi statue unveiling at base of Nandi Hills
The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday ordered status quo on the unveiling of Adiyogi statue and the opening of Isha Yoga Centre at the foothill of the Nandi Hills near here.
The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday ordered status quo on the unveiling of Adiyogi statue and the opening of Isha Yoga Centre at the foothill of the Nandi Hills near here. Issuing notices to the State, the yoga centre, and 14 other respondents, the court issued the interim order of stay. The statue was scheduled to be inaugurated by Sadguru’s Isha Foundation on January 15.
Nandi Hills is a popular tourist spot near Bengaluru.
The public interest litigation (PIL) alleged that a commercial enterprise was being set up in an ecologically fragile environment and that the government has illegally allotted land for the purpose. The PIL was filed by Kyathappa S and a few other villagers from Chikkaballapura. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Ecology, Karnataka government, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, and Isha Yoga Centre, Coimbatore, are among the 16 respondents.
The PIL alleges that the grievance is that the authorities allowed in blatant violation destroying the environment eco system, watershed, core command area of Nandi Hills, NDB Foothills in Chikkaballapura Hobli to establish a private foundation at the base of the famous Nandi Hills at the instance of spiritual guru of the yoga centre to establish commercial activities in the core area of greenery hillock viz. Panchagiri Nandi Range.
The PIL says the authorities allowed for destructing, defacing the eco system, environment and natural rainwater streams, water bodies, water feeder streams in the foothill of Nandi Hills and Narasimha Devaru Range (Betta) in existence for several centuries in violation of environmental laws, which having direct impact on the living, livelihood, cattle, sheep, wild animals, in the region of Nandi Hills.
The PIL claims that the rivers north Pinakini and south Pinakini originate in Nandi Hills, which would be affected. It says the yoga centre brought a metal idol of Lord Shiva and assembled to deface the land for the idol installation overnight.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
Get the latest City News, local updates, weather alerts and breaking stories from Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other major cities across India on Hindustan Times.
Get the latest City News, local updates, weather alerts and breaking stories from Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other major cities across India on Hindustan Times.
Home/Cities/Bengaluru News/Karnataka HC orders status quo on Adiyogi statue unveiling at Nandi Hills base
{{^htLoading}}
Advertisement
{{/htLoading}}
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
{{#usCountry}}{{/usCountry}}
Hindustantimes wants to start sending you push notifications. Click allow to subscribe
