Court cases

Chali reflects on the fractures within Auroville and on the possibilities of restoration.

The Working Committee constituted by the Residents’ Assembly informed the community that the case concerning the Admission and Termination Regulations (published by the Secretary in the Gazette of India in January 2024) was heard in the Madras High Court on 31 July, in front of a Divisional (Appeal) Bench.

On 29 April four cases concerning Auroville were listed in the Madras High Court before its summer closure during the month of May. The case filed by a concerned member of the Residents’ Assembly concerning the constitution of the Admission and Termination Scrutinising Committee (ATSC) was basically accepted for debate and the lawyers of the Foundation Office were directed to submit their arguments within six weeks.

In March 2024, an Aurovilian filed two writ petitions at the Madras High Court. The first petition prayed the court to restrain the Auroville Foundation from land exchanges without following the procedures laid down in the Auroville Foundation Rules 1997 and the General Financial Rules 2017.

On 17 March 2025, the Supreme Court of India delivered two judgements. One was on the appeal of the Auroville Foundation against the verdict of the National Green Tribunal passed in April 2022; the other on the appeal of the Auroville Foundation against the judgement of the Madras High Court of March 2024 regarding the Auroville Town Development Council.

The National Green Tribunal verdict and appeal The Auroville Universal Township Master Plan (Perspective 2025) is a perspective and directional document that was approved in 2001 by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) – now Ministry of Education (MoE) – and published by the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation in the Gazette of India in 2010.

The Admissions and Terminations Scrutinising Committee (ATSC) constituted by the Governing Board has called for people to maintain the Admissions and Terminations Registry (ATR).

In response to a Right to Information request of 7 December, 2024 the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education has sent the applicant on 3 January the minutes of the 67th Governing Board meeting held in Auroville on 31 May, 2024.

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.

“In this as in all great human aspirations and endeavours, an a priori declaration of impossibility is a sign of ignorance and weakness. For by the doing the difficulty will be solved.”

Following a court ruling of the Tindivanam court on October 25th, the disputed land area bordering Evergreen community which had been in Auroville's peaceful possession for over 32 years has now been cleared of all vegetation.

The appeal lodged by Mr PK Subramaniam (PKS) against the previous judgment on Evergreen land, which had found the contested Evergreen land to be rightfully Auroville land, was heard on the 25th October 2024 at the Tindivanam court, and a new judgement was issued.

On behalf of the RA-WCom, a legal notice has been served to the GB-FAMC. Taking into account all the facts, the RA-WCom directs the GB-FAMC (1) to immediately cease dealing with and conspiring with imposters posing as the Working Committee of the Residents’ Assembly of Auroville in contempt of the orders of the Madras High Court; (2) to immediately cease and desist from making any changes to the executives/trustees/managers of the units and Trusts of Auroville without the written and express approval of the Working Committee of the Residents’ Assembly till final decisions have been given in the matters pending before the Madras High Court; and (3) to take necessary steps to restore all maintenance support that was being given from community generated funds to those working in community services and groups selected by the community.

The RA-WCom shared with the community a legal opinion on the functioning and validity of the “Admissions Committee” (also known as “Entry Board”) constituted by the Residents’ Assembly under the Auroville Foundation (Admission and Termination of Persons in the Register of Residents) Regulations 2020 (“2020 Regulations”) in the light of the enactment of the Auroville Foundation (Admission and Termination of Persons in the Register of Residents) Regulations 2023 and the stay granted against the same by the Madras High Court via order dated on 23.2.2024.

The RA-WCom informed the community that the hearings in the Supreme Court of India on the verdict from the Madras High Court of 15th March 2024, which had invalidated the GB’s Auroville Town Development Council (ATDC) and had called for more collaboration between the GB and the Residents’ Assembly (RA), will probably take place in the second week of July.

There have been many requests for clarity on the background and status of the numerous court cases that are pending in various courts in India, including in the Supreme Court of India, regarding the present situation in Auroville.

The earliest mention of Auroville was in the monthly issue of the Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS) Information Letter of March 1965, where its General Secretary Navajata wrote: “You will be glad to know that the Mother has taken up the model township project.

The RA-Working Committee and the RA-Town Development Committee sent a joint note to the community advising to disregard notices sent by the GB-FAMC with the request to vacate at the earliest the Auroville assets they are stewarding to make way for roads or ‘lines of force’.

The cases challenging the Admission and Termination of Residents in the Register of Residents Regulations 2023 and the Selection of the Working Committee Regulations 2024 have been posted for another hearing on April 22nd.

On January 23rd, the Madras High Court ordered an interim stay of the two new regulations approved by the Governing Board and published by the Secretary, Auroville Foundation, in the Gazette of India, e.g. the Auroville Foundation (Admission and Termination of Persons in the Register of Residents) Regulations 2023, and the Auroville Foundation (Framework for Selection of Working Committee) Regulations 2024.

On 18th November, a meeting was organised by Community Connect for the four working groups that work with the AVF – the WC, the FAMC, the ATDC and an alternative RAS – to make presentations and answer questions from community members.

On August 11, Justice N. Seshasayee of the Madras High Court pronounced judgment in a case started by an Aurovilian challenging the decision of the Officer on Special Duty of the Auroville Foundation to reconstitute as many as 14 Committees or Units of the Foundation by a unilateral Office-Order, dated 12.04.2023.

On 7th December, the FAMC case filed by Namrita Gautier came up in the Madras High Court. The court had a choice to admit the case or to dismiss it outright.

Land on the Abri/Ami corner and Evergreen which has been in the possession of Auroville and Mr. Michael Bonke for many years has been claimed by a local businessman.

Under the Auroville Foundation Act, there are three statutory authorities who jointly administer and manage the Foundation and they are a) Governing Body, b) International Advisory Council and c) Residents Assembly and all the three are having well defined powers and one cannot override the power of the other. – Excerpt from the discussion section of the judgment

On 23rd January, 2010, for the French Pavilion, Alain Bernard gave a talk on the background and passing of the Auroville Foundation Act. Here is an edited version of the translation of that talk.