Supreme Court closes proceedings against Sadhguru's Isha Foundation in Madras High Court

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The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the habeas corpus petition filed by a father who claimed that his two daughters were being held as captives and brainwashed in the Isha Yoga Centre, run by spiritual leader Sadhguru, ANI reported.

According to ANI, the bench consisting of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra dismissed the case after hearing the statements of the two daughters, aged 39 and 42 years, who are majors and who are voluntarily living in the Ashram but are free to leave.

The bench said that no further directions in the habeas corpus were needed, and it case should be closed.

"Since both of them are adults and the purpose of habeas corpus was fulfilled, no further directions were needed from the High Court," said the apex court, ANI cited.

Earlier, the apex court had transferred the habeas corpus petition from the Madras High Court to itself.

The police had to restrain from taking any further actions against the Isha Yoga Centre at Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore in keeping with the directions given by the Madras High Court.

The foundation had moved to the apex court challenging the order of the Madras High Court which instructed the police to investigate the inside of the Ashram in a habeas corpus petition.

During today's hearing, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi representing Isha Foundation, objected to the High Court's directions to the police instead of dismissing the habeas corpus petition, ANI reported.

Speaking on behalf of Tamil Nadu, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra informed the court that the institution does not have an internal complaint body and that some regulatory violations were discovered during the police visit.

The CJI also said that when an institution has women and minor children involved, there needs to be an internal complaint committee, which is not to harm an organisation but there are some requirements that need to be complied with, reported ANI.

In its order, the bench said, "It is clarified that the closure of these proceedings will not affect any other regulatory compliance in the Isha Foundation and Mr. Rohatgi states that any such requirements will be duly complied."

The bench told counsel for the father of the women, "When you have grown children who are majors, you cannot file a complaint to control their lives."

The Madras High Court on September 30 while noting that there were no serious allegations against the institution, sought the details of the criminal cases against the Isha Foundation.

The Supreme Court had previously interacted with both sisters in the chamber virtually and following the interactions had said that the two women claimed that they were voluntarily residing in the Ashram.

In its order, the apex court had recorded the statement made by the two sisters that they had been residing in the Ashram out of their own will since 2009 and that their parents had visited them on several occasions, ANI reported.

A habeas corpus petition was filed in the Madras High Court by S Kamaraj, a retired professor from Coimbatore, claiming that his two daughters were brainwashed to live at the Isha Yoga Centre and that the foundation was not allowing both to remain in touch with their family.

Isha Foundation has denied the allegation, ANI reported.

(With inputs from ANI)