Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court Tuesday stayed the investigation against spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar in connection with a public land encroachment case registered by the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF), until the next hearing on Jan 21.Justice M Nagaprasanna observed that a prima facie reading of the complaint revealed no specific allegations against him. “Without any allegations, the petitioner cannot be drawn into the web of crime, unless the special public prosecutor places material on record to show his direct involvement. Therefore, the investigation shall remain stayed until the next date of hearing,” the judge said.
Sri Sri Ravishankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation, contended that the complaint stemmed from a 2023 public interest litigation (PIL) which sought directions to the state to consider representations and demolish apartments allegedly encroaching on govt land at Kaggalipura village in Uttarahalli Hobli, Bengaluru South taluk.His counsel, advocate P Prasanna Kumar, submitted that although Sri Sri Ravishankar was named as a respondent in the PIL, the BMTF complaint did not attribute any role or allegation to him in the alleged encroachment.In the absence of any specific allegation, the registration of the FIR and continuation of the investigation would amount to a gross abuse of law, and the impugned FIR was therefore liable to be quashed against the petitioner, it was argued.The court was informed that Sri Sri Ravishankar did not own any land in the relevant survey numbers at Kaggalipura, ruling out any question of encroachment. It was further submitted that police notices showed land-grabbing allegations only against other accused, and that Sri Sri Ravishankar’s name did not appear in the report submitted by the Bengaluru South tahsildar to the jurisdictional court.The petitioner contended that the present case, once again based on the same tahsildar’s report but now including his name as an accused, reflected mala fide intent on the part of the authorities to tarnish his image.Opposing the plea, special public prosecutor BA Belliappa defended the BMTF’s action, stating that since Sri Sri Ravishankar was named as a respondent in the PIL, his inclusion in the complaint involved no procedural irregularity.
