High Court Ruling awaited

In a message to aspiring Newcomers, the Working Committee appointed by the Residents’ Assembly (RA-WCom) informed them that the entry process for Auroville is pending in the Madras High Court which has not yet given a final ruling. The RA-WCom explained that as per Section 19 (a) of the Auroville Foundation Act, the Residents’ Assembly (RA) may “allow the admission or cause the termination of persons in the register of residents…” and that an Entry Board chosen by the RA has been functioning for many years, in accordance with a set of Regulations that were created by the Residents’ Assembly and approved by the Governing Board in 2020. “There are now groups of residents calling themselves the ‘Admissions and Terminations Registry’ and the ‘Admissions and Terminations Scrutinizing Committee’, who have not been chosen by the RA. They are taking for themselves the admission and termination powers of the RA, with no delegation or approval from it,” wrote the RA-WCom, and clarified that the Admission and Termination of Persons in the Register of Residents, 2023, under which these two groups are formed, was stayed by the Madras High Court on 23 February 2024. The RA-WCom stated that “These groups and their actions are illegal and clearly go against Auroville’s ideals of human unity” and that the “Residence Criteria” which were also created under the stayed Regulations are therefore illegal as well. The RA-WCom warned that any admission process that is begun by these groups that are created under the stayed regulations may be subject to the final outcome of the case regarding the admissions process for Auroville, which is still in the courts.