Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living foundation earlier welcomed the constitution of the SIT for the landgrab probe. (Express Photo by Rohit Jain Paras)The Karnataka High Court has stayed a government order forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to inquire into allegations of land encroachment by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s ashram and allied groups. The order was based on an October 2025 survey that reportedly identified encroachment of 291 acres of land reserved for animal grazing and public purposes.Justice E S Indiresh passed the interim order on July 31 on a petition filed by Ved Vignan Maha Vidya Peeth Trust, one of the allied groups accused of encroachment.The SIT was formed pursuant to a court order on a 2023 petition filed by Chandrashekar N, Mahesha B, and Muniraju S, alleging that Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation constructed buildings over a stormwater drain and encroached on a lake.The government order issued on July 17 stated that the foundation “encroached land beyond the limits of the land leased to it by the government” in survey numbers 160, 164/1, 164/2, 150, and 137 of Kaggalipura village, Bengaluru South taluk, which has government land, lakes, and stormwater drains.Also Read | Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ashram ‘encroached’ on land beyond lease limits; SIT to probeThe court emphasised that no joint survey was conducted in the trust’s presence to identify the petitioner’s land, as stipulated under section 195 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act.“It appears from the impugned order [that the] said process/procedure has not been followed by the respondent-authorities. In that view of the matter, there shall be a stay of the impugned order dated 17.07.2026, till the next date of hearing,” the court said.The matter will be further heard on August 17.As per the government order, the foundation has built a compound wall on 291 acres and 38 guntas of land, including 60 acres leased to it. The lease period for 41 acres expired in 2015, while the lease period for the remainder of the land will expire in 2033.Story continues below this adThe government order said that a few locals and agents of the foundation had obstructed repeated attempts to conduct a survey as per the law, noting that the majority of the lake in survey no 150 was encroached on.The 11-member SIT, led by senior IAS officer Amlan Aditya Biswas, was formed to investigate the violations, how the lands were encroached upon, the conditions allegedly violated by the foundation, and other land-related complaints against it. The SIT will verify land grant documents and also identify public roads, water sources, and other common land that the foundation is accused of encroaching on.Art of Living alleges ‘malicious intent’The Art of Living foundation earlier welcomed the constitution of the SIT but said the proceedings were being driven by an MLC’s malicious intent. “Regarding the allegations made against us, there is absolutely no question of any encroachment. We categorically reject all allegations of wrongdoing. In fact, a government survey conducted four to five months ago established that, of the 60 acres allotted to us by the government, we are in possession of only 36 acres. The government has yet to hand over the remaining 24 acres to us,” the foundation said in a statement.“These proceedings are being driven by malicious intent. They have been instigated by an MLC as a calculated attempt to intimidate and harass us. The said MLC is facing serious allegations in a criminal case. We possess phone recordings that substantiate our allegation of attempted extortion by certain individuals. These individuals are not local residents; they have come from outside with the apparent intention of extorting money. We have submitted every relevant document to the authorities, have full faith in the judicial system, and are fully confident that the truth will prevail,” it added.