Top court pauses Madras High Court order, takes over case involving allegations of ‘brainwashing’
In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India has temporarily suspended a Madras High Court order that directed Tamil Nadu police to investigate cases filed against Sadhguru’s Isha Foundation. The apex court has assumed control of the case and instructed the police to submit a status report.
The bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and including Justice JB Pardiwala, was responding to a challenge by Isha Foundation against the high court’s order. This legal action followed an incident where hundreds of police officers entered the foundation’s premises in Coimbatore on Tuesday.
The controversy began when retired professor S Kamaraj filed a petition alleging that his daughters, Geeta and Lata, were “brainwashed to reside at Isha Yoga Centre” in Coimbatore. He claimed that the foundation prevented them from maintaining contact with their family.
Isha Foundation vehemently denied these allegations, asserting that the two women, aged 42 and 39, were staying at its premises of their own free will. This claim was corroborated when the women appeared before the high court and confirmed their voluntary residence.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Chandrachud expressed concern over the large-scale police intervention, stating, “The first thing is that you cannot let an army of police in the establishment like this.” He proposed that a judicial officer visit the premises to speak with the two women in question.
One of the women appeared virtually before the court, reiterating their willingness to stay at the ashram and alleging that their father had been harassing them for the past eight years.
The Supreme Court’s decision to pause the investigation provides temporary relief to Sadhguru and Isha Foundation. However, the court noted that a separate probe into allegations of child abuse against a doctor at the Foundation’s Ashram, under the POCSO Act, would continue.
As the case unfolds, it raises questions about individual freedom, familial rights, and the legal boundaries of spiritual organizations in India.
