SC halts probe into alleged confinement of 2 women at Isha Foundation ashram

The Supreme Court on Thursday halted Tamil Nadu Police’s probe into the alleged confinement of two women at Isha Foundation’s ashram in Coimbatore’s Thondamuthur and transferred the case from the Madras high court to itself.
On September 30, the high court directed the police to investigate the allegations. A contingent of 150 police personnel entered the premises a day later, sparking controversy over the legality and basis of the high court’s order.
The high court ordered the inquiry after a retired Coimbatore professor filed a habeas corpus petition alleging his daughters were held at the ashram against their will. It also asked the police to provide details of all criminal cases against spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra suspended the high court order after the two women aged 38 and 42 appeared online and said that they were at the ashram voluntarily. The two denied their father’s claims.
The bench said the women made it clear there was no element of coercion or compulsion involved in their stay at the ashram, and they were free to leave at any time. It noted that police left the ashram on Wednesday night.
The bench observed the high court did not provide any substantive reason for directing an inquiry against the Isha Foundation. It questioned the legal basis for such an order.
The Supreme Court took up the matter after the Isha Foundation challenged the high court’s directive, arguing that there was no reasonable ground to suggest the women were being held against their will.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Foundation, maintained that the police raid was unwarranted and based solely on unsubstantiated allegations. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union government, supported the Foundation’s plea, saying the high court order ought to be stayed for lacking any reason for directing the police to swoop down on the ashram.
The bench noted the testimony of the women left no room for doubt regarding their voluntary stay. It directed the shifting of the case from the high court to itself and asked the Tamil Nadu Police to submit a status report. The Supreme Court restrained the police from taking any further action in the matter. It will take up the matter again on October 18.
Senior counsel Sidharth Luthra, who appeared for the state government, said the police followed the high court order and that the inquiries at the ashram were conducted with all suitable measures and resources, including children protection officers.
In a statement this week, the Isha Foundation maintained that the police raid and the allegations of illegal confinement were baseless. The Foundation argued that the two women were long-standing members of the ashram community and had chosen to live there out of spiritual and personal preference.
In its appeal to the Supreme Court, the Foundation stressed that the high court’s order had not only damaged its reputation but also disrupted the peaceful functioning of the ashram. The Foundation claimed that the high court order was unjustified and violated the fundamental rights, including the right to privacy and to exercise the free will of those residing at the ashram.
The plea stressed that the rights and autonomy of individuals, including their freedom to choose where they live and practice their beliefs, must be respected. It highlighted that unless there is credible evidence of illegal confinement or coercion, courts, and law enforcement agencies should exercise caution in intervening in personal lives.