Supreme Court Stops Police action against Sadhguru’s Isha Foundation

New Delhi: In an order on Thursday, the Supreme Court paused a Madras High Court order that allowed police action against Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore. The apex court transferred the case to itself.

The Isha Foundation had approached the top court against a Madras High Court order, directing the Tamil Nadu government to submit details of all criminal cases registered against the foundation.

“Police shall not take any further action in pursuance of directions of the High Court’s order. With reference to the said allegations, the Coimbatore Rural Police having jurisdiction shall conduct an enquiry and file a status report before this court,” said a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud.

The next hearing will take place on October 18.

The Supreme Court’s order came on a plea filed by S Kamaraj, a retired professor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore. The retired professor had alleged that his two daughters had been brainwashed and kept hostage in the yoga centre of Isha Foundation ashram.

CJI Chandrachud said he spoke to Kamaraj’s daughters in a virtual hearing, adding that they were living in the ashram on their own will.

Recently, a team of police officers conducted an investigation at Isha Foundation in Coimbatore following the Madras High Court’s order.

While hearing Kamaraj’s plea, the Madras High Court had raised questions about the practices at the foundation. The High Court questioned why Sadhguru had encouraged women to live as monks when his own daughter is married and settled.

The Isha Foundation issued a statement dismissing the allegations as baseless. The foundation denied pressuring individuals into marriage or monkhood, asserting that these are personal choices.