On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld an order of the Madras High Court allowing police action against Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The case has been shifted to the Supreme Court for further consideration.
The ruling came after the Isha Foundation’s petition to the Madras High Court opposing the Tamil Nadu government’s order to request the details of all the criminal cases registered against the organization.
A three-judge bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud said,
“Police shall not take any further action in pursuance of the High Court’s order.”. The Coimbatore Rural Police shall hold an inquiry on the allegations and file a status report before this court.”
The Supreme Court then called for a status report to be presented and listed the case for the next hearing on October 18. The case had come up for hearing following a plea from one S. Kamaraj, a retired professor of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, who contended that his two daughters were being kept in unlawful detention at a yoga center run by the Isha Foundation and that they had been brainwashed.
CJI Chandrachud pointed out that he had spoken to Kamaraj’s daughters who joined through videoconferencing, who said they were staying in the ashram of their own free will. On his part, Kamaraj had made an allegation that the Isha Foundation was indulging in the coercive conversion of persons into monkhood and not allowing them to reach their families.
Exposing the foundation’s activities, the Madras High Court in the past had raised serious questions regarding Sadhguru’s practice and propagation. Sadhguru preaches to women to live as monks and, on the other hand, has got his daughter married.
The plea also mentioned several criminal cases pending against the foundation. A recent case was lodged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, against a doctor attached to the Isha Yoga Centre.
In response, the Isha Foundation termed the allegations unfounded. “The Isha Foundation, founded by Sadhguru, sustains yoga and spirituality. It respects every adult’s freedom to choose what life path they want to take,” the statement read. The foundation denied forcing anyone into marriage or monkhood, saying such choices are deeply personal. It also warned that people spreading false information would face legal consequences.
