The state government on Tuesday ordered the formation of a special investigation team to examine allegations of encroachment on government land against the Art of Living Foundation and its associated entities.
An order issued by the state revenue department said that the 11-member special investigation team was directed to verify the findings of a land survey conducted in October 2025 commissioned by the state high court, which revealed “prima facie” that the trustees of the Art of Living Foundation, along with certain others, had “systematically, directly and indirectly encroached upon more than 290 acres of Gomala government land” in Bengaluru South taluk through government lease arrangements and agreements with land grantees and “The grant documents are allegedly questionable.”
The government asked the special investigation team to submit its findings within three months.
The Art of Living Foundation did not respond to HT’s queries for comment till late Tuesday.
Senior IAS officer Amlan Aditya Biswas will chair the committee, which includes senior revenue officials, land records officials, a retired district and sessions judge who is acting as advisor to the litigation department and other government officials, the order said. Yelahanka tehsildar Kalimulla has been appointed member secretary.
The mandate of the investigation extends beyond determining the extent of the alleged violation. The special investigation team was directed to: “Verify land records, lease deeds and grant documents. Identify legal heirs and beneficiaries of land grants. Detect forged or fraudulent documents, if any… Examine compliance with lease terms. Conduct new surveys using satellite imagery and geospatial data. Identify public roads, water bodies and civic facilities within the disputed area… Listen to all stakeholders, including the organization and other respondents,” the order said.
The investigation covers allegations relating to the Foundation, Veda Vignana Maha Vidyapeeth Institute, Sumeru Global Support Solutions Private Limited, Sumeru Realty Private Limited, other respondents named in the High Court proceedings and any other persons or organizations found to be in possession of government lands in and around Kagalipura village.
The order added that the alleged encroachments include survey numbers 160, 164/1, 164/2, 150 and 137 of the village, where government lands, lakes and storm water drains are located. The government also claimed that the occupied territories were not being used for the purpose for which they were originally granted.
The order alleged that the organization expanded its control beyond the leasehold by inducing private landowners to execute lease agreements, acquiring land through deeds of gift or agreements from actual or alleged beneficiaries, and operating through trusts and other institutions.
The survey found that the corporation’s compound wall included 291 acres and 38 guntas, although the government had leased only 60 acres, officials said. Of the leased acreage, 41 acres of government grazing land granted in 1985 had a lease term that expired in 2015 without renewal, according to the government. The other 19 acres leased in 2003 remain valid until 2033.
The order alleged that the compound wall extended over a much larger area, including a government tank, creeks, a rocky wasteland and a public walkway. It also says that a large portion of Survey No. 150, registered as a tank, has been occupied.
The government said the investigation arose from a public interest litigation filed in 2023 by Chandrashekar N, Mahesha B and Muniraju S, who alleged that the buildings had been constructed over a stormwater drain and that the lake had been encroached upon. Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, officials of Art of Living International Center and Sumeru Global Support Solutions Private Limited, were among the respondents in the case.
While the Supreme Court was hearing the petition on September 9, 2025, it directed the state revenue department, Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner and South Bengaluru district to proceed against the encroachers in accordance with law. The October 2025 survey was conducted in accordance with these guidelines.
The government also claimed that repeated attempts to conduct the survey were obstructed by “some local residents and people associated with the organization.” She said officials faced difficulties because there was no revenue village called Udayapura in the district even though some of the alleged attackers provided such addresses, and because the lack of a legal notification defining village boundaries complicated surveys.
The revenue records cited in the order specify that Kagalipura, Agara and Badi Manavarthy Kaval are government grazing lands. The government also noted that the National Green Tribunal has recognized the Kaval areas as environmentally sensitive areas requiring protection.
