Sri Sri Ravishankar. | Photo credit: File photo
To the relief of Sri Sri Ravishankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation, the Karnataka High Court quashed a first information report (FIR) registered suo motu against him by the Bengaluru Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) in September 2025, which alleged that he and others had encroached on certain government land and a portion of Rajakaluva.
“There is not even an iota of allegation against the petitioner for land grabbing or encroachment… If the proceedings are allowed to continue, it would be an abuse of process against the petitioner and would lead to a miscarriage of justice,” observed Justice M. Nagaprasanna while allowing the petition filed by Sri Sri Ravishankar.
Named as respondent
The BMTF appears to have named Sri Sri Ravishankar in the FIR only because he was named as a respondent in a PIL petition filed before a division bench of the court against a real estate firm and others on the issue of encroachment on government land, the court said, pointing out that the FIR lacked the necessary legal ingredients to charge under Section 192A, Land96ka of the Karnataka Act.
Pointing out that the complaint did not contain any specific allegations or overt act against Sri Sri Ravishankar, the court said that registration of an offense is a serious matter against any citizen and cannot be registered without some prima facie material. “Prima facie material cannot be collected during the investigation,” he added.
Case background
The background to the registration of the offense was the order passed on September 9, 2025 by a division bench of the court while disposing of a PIL petition filed by Chandrashekhar N. and others in 2023. The PIL asked the authorities to take action under the Government Land Encroachment Act as a report submitted by the tahsildar to the court indicated encroachment on a certain portion of the land during the construction of an apartment complex by a real estate firm and others. Although no specific allegations were made against Sri Sri Ravishankar, he was named as respondent number 5 in the petition.
The court was informed that Sri Sri Ravishankar does not own any property nor is he illegally occupying any government land at survey numbers 160, 164/1, 164/2, 150 and 137 situated in Kaggalipura village, Uttarahalli Hobli, Bengaluru South Taluk. The Tahsildar’s report named him in the report of alleged encroachments, the court was informed.
Published – 27 March 2026 20:42 IST
