SC stays HC-ordered police action against Sadhguru’s Isha Foundation

The Supreme Court on Thursday (October 3) stayed the police action ordered by the Madras High Court against Isha Foundation run by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.

A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud passed the order after Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared for the foundation and pleaded that the matter be mentioned for urgent listing.

Foundation moved SC after police raids

The Isha Foundation had moved the apex court challenging the Madras High Court order directing the Coimbatore Police to collect all case details registered against it and produce them before the court for further consideration.

Rohatgi earlier said that around 500 police officials had raided the foundation’s ashram in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and searched “every corner”.

The bench, also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, sought to inquire about the details from two women whose father had moved the high court alleging illegal confinement at the Isha Foundation.

The judges of the bench went into chambers to interact with the two women in private through video-conferencing about facts of the case.

One of the women told the Supreme Court online that she was staying at the Isha Yoga Centre willingly.

Habeas corpus case

The high court had on September 30 passed an interim order on a habeas corpus petition filed by Dr S Kamaraj, who sought a direction to the police to produce his two daughters, whom he alleged were held captive inside the Isha Foundation before the court and set them at liberty.

The petitioner was a retired professor from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. He has two daughters, aged 42 and 39, and both had masters in Engineering. Both of them joined the Isha Foundation.

The petitioner had alleged that the foundation was abusing certain persons, by brainwashing and converting them as monks and not even allowing their parents and relatives to meet them.

Isha’s defence

After hearing the habeas corpus petition, the high court had directed the Tamil Nadu government to submit particulars on all the criminal cases registered against Isha Foundation.

In response to the petition, Isha Foundation denied allegations that it advocated monkhood or asked people to get married, as these were individual choices.

"Isha Foundation was founded by Sadhguru to impart yoga and spirituality to people. We believe that adult individual human beings have the freedom and the wisdom to choose their path," the foundation said in a statement.

It said that Isha was home to thousands who were not monks and a few who have taken Brahmacharya or monkhood. “Despite this, the petitioner wanted the monks to be produced before the court and the monks have presented themselves before the court.”

Petitioner tried to trespass premises, says Isha

"They have clearly stated that they are staying in Isha Yoga Center on their own volition. Now that the matter is seized by the court, we hope truth will prevail and there is an end to all unnecessary controversies," the statement read.

It claimed that the petitioner and others tried to trespass into the premises under a false pretext of being a fact-finding committee to enquire about the crematorium being constructed by the foundation and they had filed a criminal complaint against the foundation.

The high court had granted a stay on submission of the final report by the police.

"Apart from this, there is no other criminal case against the Foundation. Whoever indulges in spreading false information against the foundation will be strictly dealt with as per the law of the land," it said.

(With inputs from agencies)