Supreme Court curbs police action at Vasudev’s Isha Foundation

The Supreme Court has intervened in a legal dispute involving Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation, halting further police action after a raid on its Coimbatore premises on October 1. The court's October 3 order followed a habeas corpus petition by a 69-year-old man alleging his two daughters were being held captive at the Foundation.

The habeas corpus petition was initially filed in the Madras High Court, which had issued directives to the Tamil Nadu police to investigate the matter. The two daughters of the petitioner, aged 42 and 39, were said to have been living at the Isha Foundation for an extended period. The petitioner, a retired professor from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, expressed concerns that his daughters were not residing there of their own free will.

The Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, has transferred the case to itself and scheduled the next hearing for October 18. The court took this decision after hearing an urgent plea from the Isha Foundation, which contested the High Court’s directives. The Foundation, represented by senior legal counsel, argued that the case raised critical questions about religious freedom and the right to voluntarily choose one’s lifestyle.

The Court allowed the original petitioner to appear via video conferencing or in person, depending on his preference. It directed the police to submit the status report previously ordered by the High Court but prohibited further police action beyond this submission.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, argued that the High Court should have exercised greater caution and that certain oral observations made by the High Court’s bench could have been avoided. The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing for October 18, with further developments expected on the case.

During the Supreme Court hearing, the two daughters in question appeared before the court and conveyed that they were staying at the Foundation voluntarily. This development added complexity to the case, prompting the apex court to take over the matter for further deliberation.

The background of the case involves not only the concerns raised by the petitioner but also the larger context surrounding the Isha Foundation. The petitioner’s daughters, known by their spiritual names Maa Mathi and Maa Maayu, are followers of the Foundation. Their father alleged that the institution had unduly influenced their decision to adopt a monastic lifestyle. Moreover, he pointed to the involvement of a doctor associated with the Foundation in a recent criminal case as a cause for concern.

The Tamil Nadu police had arrested Dr. S Saravanamoorthy, who was linked to the Isha Foundation’s mobile medical units, for allegedly sexually assaulting 12 female students at a government school. This case, which occurred during a medical camp organized by the Foundation in early September, has further complicated the legal scrutiny faced by the institution.

The Madras High Court, while expressing its doubts about the case, had raised questions about the activities within the Foundation, including the alleged influence of Jaggi Vasudev over his followers. Although the two daughters had appeared before the High Court as well, the court decided to probe the matter further, citing unresolved concerns about the case.