In a significant relief
for spiritual leader Sadhguru, the Supreme Court has stayed a Madras High Court
order that directed the Tamil Nadu police to investigate cases involving the
Isha Foundation. The apex court has now taken charge of the case and has asked
the police to submit a detailed status report on the matter.
A bench led by Chief
Justice of India DY Chandrachud was hearing a petition from the Isha Foundation
challenging the high court's directive. This comes after a significant police
presence was seen at the foundation's premises in Coimbatore earlier this week,
following the high court's orders.
The high court's
directive was in response to a petition filed by retired professor S Kamaraj,
who claimed that his daughters, Geeta and Lata, had been
"brainwashed" into residing at the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore. He
further alleged that the foundation restricted their contact with family
members.
The Isha Foundation has
strongly denied the accusations, stating that the two women, aged 42 and 39,
are living at the centre of their own free will. The women were presented
before the high court, where they confirmed that they had voluntarily chosen to
reside at the foundation.
In its defence, the Isha Foundation also claimed
that the petitioner, along with others, had attempted to trespass on its
property under the guise of being part of a fact-finding committee.
During today's hearing,
Chief Justice Chandrachud highlighted a separate case involving the foundation,
where a doctor associated with the Isha Ashram had recently been charged with
child abuse under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences
(Pocso) Act.
The Chief Justice
emphasised that investigations into this matter should continue. Senior
Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Isha Foundation, clarified that the
alleged incidents did not take place within the foundation’s premises.
As the proceedings continued, the bench inquired
whether the two women at the centre of the case were available to speak with
the court directly.
Advocate Rohatgi
confirmed their availability. One of the women later appeared virtually before
the court and reiterated that she and her sister were staying at the ashram of
their own volition. She also alleged that their father had been harassing them
for the past eight years.
The Chief Justice the
said, “The first issue is that you cannot allow an army of police to raid such
an establishment... what we propose is to assign a judicial officer to visit
the premises and speak to the women personally.”
Following a brief recess, Chief Justice
Chandrachud added that the women had informed the court that they had joined
the ashram when they were 24 and 27 years old, respectively, and had chosen to
stay there voluntarily.
The court also noted
that a similar petition had been filed by the women’s mother eight years ago,
raising similar concerns.