New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Friday cancelled all proceedings against the Isha Foundation over a father’s claims his two daughters had been “brainwashed” into joining spiritual leader Sadhguru’s ashram in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore, and denied their family contact with them.

The petition – claiming unlawful detention – was rejected as both Geeta and Lata were adults and living in the ashram of their “own free will”, a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud ruled.

The order, however, is for this case only, the court also said, following acknowledgment earlier that a doctor at ashram was recently charged with child abuse.

On the “brainwashed” matter it said the Madras High Court – which ordered an inquiry into the habeas corpus petition, after which police raided the ashram – acted in a “completely inappropriate” manner.

The Supreme Court noted that since neither of the daughters was a minor – they were 27 and 24 when the joined the ashram – and that the purpose of the habeas corpus petition was fulfilled by their appearing in the High Court, “no further directions were needed” from that judicial forum.

Proceedings such as this could not be used to “malign people and institutions”, the Chief Justice said in oral remarks on this case, according to legal news website Live Law.

Earlier this month the Supreme Court transferred to itself the case then heard by the Madras High Court, and halted an order directing police to investigate the father’s allegations.

READ | “Cops To Stop Probe”: Supreme Court Pauses Order Against Sadhguru

Following the High Court’s order hundreds of cops raided the Isha Foundation, prompting the appeal – against a police inquiry being conducted inside the ashram – to the Supreme Court.

The High Court then had questioned Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s actions.

READ | Why Is Sadhguru Asking Women To Live Like Hermits, High Court Asks

Isha Foundation had then, and now denied the charges and said the women – now 42 and 39 – were willing residents. They appeared in front of the High Court and affirmed the Foundation’s statement; one of the women also appeared before the Supreme Court, via video link.

She told the court her sister and she were willing residents and that their father had been harassing them for eight years. She also said their mother had similarly harassed them.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Isha Foundation, pointed out today that even Tamil Nadu Police’s status report noted the women were voluntarily residing at the ashram.

The court also spoke to the father and pointed out he could not “control” the lives of his grown children. In oral observations he was told to “win their confidence” instead of filing petitions.

“Many People Have Gone Missing…”

Earlier, in a counter-petition, Tamil Nadu Police said many others who had entered the foundation had been reported missing. The petition also gave details of a POCSO, or Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, case against a doctor employed by the Isha Outreach programme.

READ | “Many People Have Gone Missing Inside Sadhguru’s Ashram”: Police

There was also mention of a sexual assault complaint filed by a Delhi woman; the alleged incident happened when she was attending a yoga course at the ashram in 2021.

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New Delhi:

Tamil Nadu Police in its counter petition in the Supreme Court against the Isha foundation of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has said that many people who went to the foundation remain missing and police are not able to trace them.

Police in the petition said that the Isha Foundation campus has a crematorium within its premises. The counter affidavit also said that the hospital inside Isha Foundation was issuing medicines that had crossed expiry dates to the inmates.

Coimbatore Police has filed cases in the Supreme Court registered in connection with the Isha Foundation founded by Swami Jaggi Vasudev.

The details include complaints, according to the 23-page report, about “persons who came there for courses and found missing, etc”.

The report filed by K. Karthikeyan, Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu, informed that a total of six missing cases were registered in the jurisdictional Alandurai Police Station with respect to the Isha Foundation in 15 years.

Out of the six, five cases were closed as “further action was dropped”. One case is still under investigation “since the missing person is not yet traced”.

Further, seven cases were registered under Section 174 (police to enquire and report on suicide, etc) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

“Out of which two cases are under investigation for want of forensic lab report,” the status report said.

The police said a neighbour has approached the Madras High Court for the removal of a crematorium being constructed by the Foundation. However, the case is pending and added that the crematorium was presently not functioning.

The report gave details of a POCSO case registered by a local school principal against a doctor who was employed by ‘Isha Outreach’.

The doctor was arrested and denied bail. It has also mentioned a complaint of sexual assault filed by a woman at the Saket Police Station in Delhi.

The Incident occurred when she was attending a yoga course at Isha Yoga Centre in 2021. According to the status report, the woman claimed she was assaulted by a man, who was also a participant.

The zero FIR was transferred to the Coimbatore Police.

Though the woman had later withdrawn the complaint, the police said it would seek permission for further investigation as the woman’s Section 164 CrPC statement was not recorded and the accused was neither arrested nor interrogated.

An FIR against Isha Yoga Centre for encroachment into land given to tribal people is also under investigation, the report said.

The police said that as per information received from the Foundation as of October 1, 2024, there were 217 Brahmacharis, 2455 volunteers, 891 paid staff, 1475 paid workers, 342 Isha Home School students, 175 Isha Samskriti students, 704 guests/volunteers and 912 guests residing in cottages at the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore.

The report said the police randomly enquired about the food, safety and other factors from 558 persons, apart from the two women whose father had moved a habeas corpus petition in the Madras High Court alleging that his daughters, aged 42 and 39, were detained in the Foundation premises.

Child experts in the enquiry team said there was a need for awareness programmes about child helplines, children’s rights and the POCSO Act.

The Joint Director of Health Services, Coimbatore, gave a detailed report about the Isha Clinic, which had a valid licence till March 2027.

However, the report raised concerns about medical equipment which have crossed the period of expiry and a non-qualified person taking the X-ray.

The team said though the women with whom enquiries were made said they were living there voluntarily, the Internal Complaints Committee mandated under the POSH Act was not “functioning properly”.

“The Brahmacharis have stated that they are free to go anywhere when they please and they meet their friends and relatives at any time they please,” the police report said.

The top court is scheduled to hear the case on October 18.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)