The Supreme Court fined an Auroville resident ₹1 lakh for repeatedly filing petitions to obstruct development and administration in Auroville. The court also overturned the High Court and National Green Tribunal orders that had stalled road development inside Auroville, stating that the High Court had misinterpreted the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. The ruling paves the way for long-pending infrastructure projects in the region.

The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the Auroville Foundation can continue its development projects. A bench of Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice Prasanna B. Varale supported the Auroville Foundation’s appeal, stating that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) did not have the authority to issue orders stopping the projects.

The Auroville Foundation, which manages the experimental township in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district and parts of Puducherry, has been in a legal dispute with residents over its development plans since 2022.

On April 30, 2022, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Southern Zone halted all development activities in Auroville until the foundation obtained Environmental Clearance (EC). This decision came after a complaint alleging that the foundation was cutting down a large number of trees in a forested area for the proposed Crown Road project.

The applicant urged authorities to stop the Auroville Foundation from cutting more trees or clearing vegetation. In response, the foundation argued that Auroville is an international cultural township, not a designated forest. However, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) instructed the foundation to submit a detailed township plan outlining ring roads, industries, and development phases. It also ordered a halt to all construction activities until the required Environmental Clearance (EC) was obtained.

About Auroville

Auroville is a special international township where people from different countries live together in peace. It is planned to have up to 50,000 residents. The idea of Auroville came to the Mother in the 1930s as a place for unity and shared progress. In the 1960s, the plan was developed further, and the Government of India supported it and took it to UNESCO. In 1966, UNESCO recognized Auroville as an important project for the future of humanity and encouraged its growth.

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