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.
