Madras High Court suo motu impleads Mata Amritanandamayi Math in forest case

The Madras High Court has suo motu impleaded Mata Amritanandamayi Math as one of the respondents to a case related to alleged erection of a two-kilometre-long electric fence, disturbing the movement of elephants, on the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham campus in Ettimadai situated at the foothills of the Bouluvampatty ranges of the Western Ghats in Coimbatore district.

A special Division Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy directed the High Court Registry to issue notice, returnable by June 25, to the Math. The court felt it essential to hear the institution and ascertain if any of the conditions imposed by the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) and the Forest Department had been violated by it.

The direction was issued on a petition filed by forest activist M. Siva through his counsel M. Purushothaman. Responding to the petition, Coimbatore Collector G. Pavankumar told the court that the Math had submitted an application on April 3, 2023 for changing the use of 12.622 hectares of land from agricultural purposes to educational purpose in the revenue records.

Since the deemed university campus run by the Math bordered with the reserve forests, necessary remarks were called for from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) before taking a call on the application. On January 18, 2024, the PCCF submitted a list of 17 conditions under which the Math’s request for change of classification of lands could be considered.

Thereafter, the DTCP granted permission to the Math by directing it to follow all the 17 conditions scrupulously. One of the conditions required the maintenance of a buffer zone of 150 metres along the reserve forests boundary for free movement of wildlife, particularly elephants. The other condition stated that wild animals passing through applicant’s land, for food and water, should not be disturbed.

The applicant was also instructed that fencing, if any, around its land must be erected only as per the Tamil Nadu Power Fences (Registration and Regulation) Rules, 2023 and that there should not be continuous barrier to block free movement of wild migratory animals. The Math was also asked to report movement of elephants to the nearby forest office and not drive them away.

“In order to ascertain whether any of the conditions have been violated and since no decision can be taken without affording an opportunity of hearing to the said private institution, Mata Amritanandamayi Math… is suo motu impleaded as the 67th respondent in the writ petition,” the Divsion Bench ordered.