An Unfair Media Trial? RTI Reply Puts Fullstop To All Questions Against Sadhguru

Jaggi Vasudev, or the famous spiritual leader 'Sadhguru', found himself amidst controversy when a 'Right To Information (RTI) was filed earlier this year. The RTI alleged that Sadhguru's Isha Yoga Centre crept into the forest land and intruded into the elephant corridor. However, the reply to the RTI revealed that the construction of the sprawling ashram does not intrude into any of the elephant corridors or have not encroached upon any land. The RTI reply is a bid to clear all doubts regarding constructing the multi-acre Yoga Centre project at the foothills of the Vellingiri range in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore.

What Did The Reply To RTI Mention?

News 18 reported that "the details of encroachments on the forest lands if any done by Isha Foundation and Isha yoga centre, Vellingiri Foot Hills, Coimbatore…", the Tamil Nadu government's Public Officer stated in reply that there have been "no encroachments in the forest land by the Isha Foundation and Isha yoga centre…". For several years, nature and environment activists had expressed concern over the fact that the Yoga Centre sits on the 'protected land' and did not take the mandatory prior approval of the Hill Area Conservation Authority before it began the construction.

Has The Media Been Unfair To Sadhguru?

Several media organizations and social activists, amongst several others, criticized the famous spiritual leader for the alleged encroachments. On the other hand, the reply to the RTI was underreported, thus tarnishing the image of Sadhguru. There have been several instances when famous people have been on the receiving end of media criticism. While it is the responsibility of newsrooms to make sure that the news reaches the public, one must refrain from defamatory tactics to avoid the loss of intangible reputation that someone might have built over the years.

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