The petition was filed by ST Sivagnanan, who owns land adjacent to the Isha Yoga Centre. He had requested the court to ensure that the authorities take steps to control noise pollution and prevent sewage discharge into nearby agricultural land before granting permission for the event.
CHENNAI: Today, 24th Feb, The Madras High Court has refused to stop Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore from organizing its Maha Shivaratri celebrations on February 26 and 27, 2025.
A division bench comprising Justices SM Subramaniam and K Rajasekar dismissed a petition that sought restrictions on the event due to concerns about noise pollution and sewage disposal.
The petition was filed by ST Sivagnanan, who owns land adjacent to the Isha Yoga Centre. He had requested the court to ensure that the authorities take steps to control noise pollution and prevent sewage discharge into nearby agricultural land before granting permission for the event.
However, the court ruled against the petition, stating that the petitioner had not provided sufficient evidence to justify stopping the festival.
The bench noted, “The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has stated that Isha is complying with the norms and conducting the programme inside the campus and it may not cause any noise pollution to the people residing outside the campus.”
The petitioner had alleged that Isha Yoga Centre was violating noise pollution rules by using loudspeakers throughout the night and was improperly discharging sewage onto agricultural land. However, the court observed that these were mere apprehensions and not backed by strong evidence.
It ruled, “The petitioner, except for raising apprehensions, had not established any right to grant an injunction against Isha from conducting the Maha Shivarathri festival.”
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) submitted a report stating that Isha Yoga Centre has adequate sewage treatment facilities.
According to the report, “The Isha Yoga Centre has a total sewage treatment capacity of 1,725 KLD which is adequate to handle the sewage (0.648 MLD) generated from 6,000 people who regularly stay and work in the premises and the sewage of 0.12 MLD generated from the daily visitors ranging from 5,000 to 10,000.”
Additionally, TNPCB clarified that
“The treated sewage is utilized on their own land for irrigation/gardening.”
For managing sewage during the Maha Shivaratri festival, the centre has arranged temporary toilets, and
“The collected sewage will be transported to the sewage treatment plant maintained by the Coimbatore municipal corporation.”
Addressing concerns about noise levels, TNPCB informed the court that the sound recorded during last year’s Maha Shivaratri festival was within permissible limits.
The board stated, “The ambient noise level recorded last year was well within the standard of 75 dB (A) prescribed by the Board.”
Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran appeared for the Tamil Nadu government, submitting the counter-affidavit on behalf of TNPCB. Senior counsel Sathish Parasaran represented Isha Yoga Centre, while advocate Yogeshwaran appeared for the petitioner.
The court, after reviewing the facts, ruled in favor of Isha Yoga Centre, allowing the Maha Shivaratri festival to proceed without any restrictions. Since TNPCB confirmed that the centre follows environmental norms, the judges found no reason to interfere.
Case Title: S T Sivagnanan v The State of Tamil Nadu and Others| WP 5776 of 2025
