Issue Nº428 – News in brief

The Working Committee appointed by the Residents’ Assembly (RA-WCom) have published a legal opinion from lawyer Suchindran Bala Baskar as to the validity of the Auroville Foundation (Residence Criteria) Standing Order 2024 (AVFRC), which lays down certain criteria to be followed by the residents of Auroville [see AVToday # 426, page 2]. The opinion states that the Auroville Foundation Act has not given the Governing Board powers to issue standing orders; that standing orders can ordinarily only be issued in cases where there is an employer – employee relationship which is not the case in Auroville; and that, as the Office Order does not contain any guidelines for the exercise of discretion by those charged with its execution, the powers granted may be misused and impinge on the right to equality before the law and the right to life and liberty including the right to privacy. The legal opinion states that the Order is bordering on contempt of the Stay Order on the Auroville Foundation (Admission and Termination of Persons in the Register of Residents) Regulations, 2023 issued by the Madras High Court on 23 February, 2024. The opinion concludes that the issuing of the AVFRC Standing Order 2024 is ultra vires [beyond the legal powers given by, eds.] the Auroville Foundation Act, 1988 and unconstitutional due to the conferment of arbitrary and uncontrolled discretionary powers. 

By Office Order dt. 20 February 2025, Dr. G. Seetharaman, Officer on Special Duty, Auroville Foundation, appointed the five members of the Admissions & Terminations Scrutinising Committee (ATSC) and the three members of the Admissions & Terminations Registry, in accordance with the Auroville Foundation (Admission and Termination of Persons in the Register of Residents) Regulations, 2023, issued by the Governing Board and published in the Gazette of India on 4 January 2024. The Office Order seems to ignore the order issued by the Madras High Court of 23 February 2024 which temporarily stayed these Governing Board regulations as they erode the powers of the Residents’ Assembly to allow admission or termination of the persons in the Register of Residents. On 20 January, Newcomers and pre-Newcomers were called to a ‘mandatory’ meeting with members of the ATSC and members of the Governing Board approved Working Committee.

In two events in early February, residents visited the Auroville Foundation Office to express their deep concerns about the loss of Auroville land near Evergreen community and to request the Auroville Foundation Office to appeal the judgement in which ownership of the land, which had been in Auroville's ownership for 30 years, was passed to a property developer. On 3 February, over 100 residents peacefully visited the Auroville Foundation Office. On 6 February, a petition signed by 713 Auroville residents and well-wishers from around the world requesting the Auroville Foundation to appeal the judgement was handed over to the Auroville Foundation Office, with soft copies sent to the Education Minister, to the Governing Board, and to the International Advisory Council. It was later found out that the Auroville Foundation finally appealed the judgement on the last day possible. Meanwhile, the property developer claiming the land has completely denuded it and made it ready for luxury villa plots.

On 29 January, a member of the Auroville Town Development Council constituted by the Governing Board (GB-ATDC) verbally informed community members that it now “had permission to increase the Outer Ring Road (ORR) to 30 meters wide”. On 3 February 2024, workers began cutting trees along the ORR, and continued cutting in the following weeks. The Town Development Council constituted by the Residents’ Assembly (RA-TDC) has sent a letter to numerous state and central government officials, cataloguing the destruction. 

The construction of the Crown Road, ORR and various radials is running into problems as a number of private, temple or Poramboke (government) lands, which are necessary to complete the envisioned urban plan, have not yet been purchased. On the 4km-long Crown and some radial roads, the non-ownership of vital plots of private land has delayed the completion of the road, and the majority of the land needed for the ORR does not belong to Auroville, with some of it located inside local villages. The newly constructed roads are alleged to be of poor quality and to have inadequate provisions for rainwater runoff. 

The RA-TDC informed the community that on 27 January it had sent a letter to high government officials addressing ongoing concerns about non-compliance by the GB-ATDC and the Central Public Works Department which executes the road building in accordance with the Auroville Master Plan (Perspective 2025). Key issues highlighted include violations of the Auroville Foundation Act, lack of updated development plans, poor environmental planning, irregularities in road construction, and significant financial and ecological losses. The letter calls for an immediate halt to projects, a review of the Master Plan, adherence to participatory governance, and environmental clearances to safeguard Auroville's principles and ecological integrity. 

In January 2025, all of the volunteers and guests who were staying in Mitra Youth Hostel were asked to leave in order for the Auroville Foundation Office to house a group of 27 financial auditors. The youth were accused of being “not mindful of the Peace Area” and of alcohol and substance abuse although no evidence was given for this. Initially such housing takeovers took place only in relation to Government-of-India-funded assets, such as units at Maitreye and Harmony (SAIIER’s newly-built staff quarters), but more recently have occurred with houses that had been constructed with private funding. This is causing increased pressure amidst Auroville’s existing housing crisis. 

The Auroville Youth Center has sent out a mass bulletin to all residents stating that the Youth Center is a place of learning, exploration and personal growth for youth of all kinds and ages and that it has recently started to work closely with the community, creating various workshops such as welding, woodwork, kombucha making, mushroom cultivation; with more to come. To finance these learning activities the Centre has been holding pizza nights every weekend. The Centre clarified that these evenings aim to encourage community bonding, youth integration and involvement, and the sharing of joy and fun. It stated that its internal security is watchful and ensures the evenings do not devolve into a “party place”, and that no alcohol, tobacco, and illegal and unethical behavior are present. All events and activities in the Youth Center end by 10pm sharp, with no exceptions.

On 11 February it was announced that Auroville’s Residents' Assembly (RA) has approved the revised mandate of the Residents’ Assembly Service. 359 residents of Auroville voted online and in-person, with 355 votes in favour and 4 against. The number of participants exceeded the 10 per cent quorum required to validate an RA decision (239 votes), as according to the Master List data, the total adult population of our community eligible to participate in RA decision making is 2388 as of the month of February 2025. The new mandate expands the role of the RAS beyond organizing meetings and vote counting to a broader function of supporting community decision-making, communication and coordination, with members appointed for three-year extendable terms. 

The RA-WCom has challenged the authority of the GB-FAMC which it described as “a group of individuals attempting to impose control over the rest of the community when it has not been selected by the Residents’ Assembly and does not respond to calls of collaboration or transparency.” The RA-WCom stated that the functioning of the GB-FAMC as a Committee of the Governing Board is not in accordance with section 16.2 of the Auroville Foundation Act as only GB members can vote in a committee constituted by the Governing Board of which they are a member.” The challenge was issued in response to a mass bulletin issued by the GB-FAMC on 14 January in which it claimed to be the sole authority for the appointment of executives and managers.

The RA-WCom has shared with the community an update about recent activities and hearings in the Supreme Court in New Delhi and in the Madras High Court.

1. An appeal on the Quo Warranto order of 1 August 2024 concerning the membership of the Working Committee was submitted by its lawyers in the Madras High Court on 4 February 2025. The appeal has been accepted for debate and a notice has been issued to the other party to respond within two weeks.

2. There have been a number of hearings in the Supreme Court on the appeals of the Auroville Foundation (represented by the Secretary) against the National Green Tribunal order of April 2022 and against the order of the Madras High Court on TDC matters issued on March 2024. All arguments in both cases are now closed and reserved for judgement. The final rulings are awaited.

3. A writ petition filed by an Aurovilian on land exchange has been listed in the Madras High Court.

Run for the Joy of Running, the 15th Auroville Marathon, took place on Sunday, 16 February 2025. Over 3,300 runners from across the world, each carrying their own unique story, determination, and love for running, participated in the full, half and quarter marathons.

On 15 and 16 February, the Auroville Choir, conducted by Nuria, presented songs composed by Ola Gjeilo, Elaine Hagenberg, James Eakin, Eric Whitacre, Jacob Narverud, Don Macdonald, Christopher Tin and Jake Runestad. The performance was titled Hope, in keeping with the theme of all the songs. 

As an offering to the Mother on Her Birthday, the Wealth Garden, one of the 12 gardens of the Matrimandir, was opened on 21 February. The flower of the Wealth Garden is the Water Lily, which Mother named “Wealth”. Mother's Comment on the Wealth Garden: True wealth is what one offers to the Divine.

In the birthday week, the Auroville Foundation hosted the Humility ’25 Festival, an eight-day celebration that embodies the essence of humility. The Festival explored the Four Powers of The Mother followed by attributes of psychological growth in the principles of The Mother’s symbol. The highlights included daily Matrimandir concentration sessions, knowledge sharing, workshops and readings, cultural shows and cuisine events. The Foundation invited participants from schools, colleges and institutions to learn about Auroville’s international culture, spirituality and vision. 

Among other events happening during the Auroville birthday week there was a Bansuri flute recital offered by Aurovilian Chandra in the Matrimandir amphitheatre on Mother’s birthday, 21 February. A composition by Aurovilian Holger Jetter on the four great aspects of The Mother for piano, guitar, flute, four string instruments and solo dance, was performed at Cripa on 22 February. A collective dance offering for the birthdays of The Mother and Auroville called Divya Shakti (Divine Power) took place on 25 February at the Matrimandir amphitheatre, involving 20 Indian classical dancers (Odissi, Bharat Natyam, Kathak) and Kalaripayattu practitioners, including Aurovilians, Ashramites and professional artists, who danced on recorded music played by 30 musicians from India, Europe, Russia, USA, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, and Auroville. From 21 to 23 February, a Mini Film Festival focusing on films from the Middle East countries took place at the Multimedia auditorium. The festival featured films from Iran, Tunesia, Lebanon, Algeria and Jordan.