Kumar Siddhartha, Pune
On Thursday, the Supreme Court took charge of a petition that was earlier being heard by the Madras High Court. The Madras High Court had asked the police to file reports on criminal cases against Sadhguru’s Isha Yoga Foundation.
Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud heading a three-judge bench stated “You cannot let the Army and the police in these kinds of institutions”, also put an end to any further action on the part of the police regarding the order of the high court. The status report that had been filed with the Supreme Court that had been submitted before the Madras High Court issued its directive the bench was asking for it.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi submitted that the ashram has a clear record. He submitted that out of the two women who were allegedly being held against their will at the ashram, one had appeared in the Madras High Court and stated that she was a volunteer at the ashram. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the Centre, slammed the Madras High Court for its approach to the matter: “It should have been more careful before releasing the order. We should not be treated as stooges by the high courts.”.
For the first time, one of the women appeared before a Supreme Court bench through video conferencing. She confirmed having spoken earlier to the Madras High Court and repeated that they are in Isha Yoga Centre out of their own choice. She explained that her father’s harassment had continued for the last eight years.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court, through a private virtual hearing by Justices J. B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, spoke to both the women. In this hearing, Chief Justice Chandrachud confirmed that both the women had reiterated before the bench that their stay in the ashram was voluntary. They said, “even though police have left the premises last night they were around the ashram for the last two days”.
In response to a habeas corpus petition filed by retired professor Dr S Kamaraj, Madras High Court issued a directive which then was followed by the intervention of police, who claimed his daughters Geetha and Latha were held against their will at the Isha Foundation in Coimbatore.