Auroville Foundation welcomes SC orders; appeals for harmonious collaboration

Welcoming the two recent Supreme Court rulings that reinforced the Auroville Foundation governing board’s paramount power to implement the founding vision of The Mother for a universal township devoted to human unity and consciousness, Auroville, on Tuesday, appealed to all residents and stakeholders to strive for a “City of the Future” in a spirit of harmony and collectivism.

“Collective cooperation and harmony are essential to fulfilling Auroville’s destiny as a beacon of an actual human unity. All residents and stakeholders are invited to join hands in this journey of growth and progress by supporting all efforts to implement Auroville’s vision”, Auroville said.

The Auroville Town Development Council (ATDC) will continue its work in line with the reconstituted structure approved by the Governing Board. The Foundation remains committed to ensuring transparency, accountability, and growth while advancing Auroville’s mission, a press statement from Auroville Foundation said.

According to the Foundation, the “landmark judgments” delivered by the Supreme Court have reinforced the Governing Board’s authority to evolve a universal implement Auroville as envisioned by the Mother and approved through a statutory Master Plan.

Importantly, the rulings have clarified the role to be played by the Residents’ Assembly, and set aside the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) directions that had stalled the construction of Crown Road and other essential infrastructure projects aligned with the Auroville Master Plan, the Foundation said.

The judgement has affirmed that the Auroville Master Plan—originally envisioned by the Mother, approved in 2001 by the Governing Board and the Government of India, and notified in 2010—has statutory force and does not require fresh Environmental Clearance (EC). It also deemed that the Crown Road and related projects were part of an approved statutory plan and could not be halted by invoking the “Precautionary Principle” where no substantial question of environmental law was involved, and recognised that the area in question (Darkali) was not a forest and did not require clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the statement said.

Upholding the Constitutional guarantee of the right to development on a par with the right to clean environment, the apex court stressed the need for a “sustainable development” that balanced both fundamental rights.

In a separate case, the Supreme Court set aside the judgment of the Madras High Court invalidating a Standing Order issued by the Auroville Foundation for reconstituting the Auroville Town Development Council (ATDC).

The Residents’ Assembly’s role is advisory in nature and does not extend to claiming a right to nominate members to committees formed by the Governing Board, the court ruled. While setting aside the impugned order, the apex court also observed that repeated litigations by certain residents aimed at obstructing Auroville’s progress constituted abuse of process and imposed a ₹50,000 fine on the petitioner for filing a frivolous petition, the Foundation said.