Supreme Court closes case against Sadhguru’s Isha Foundation after women confirm ’voluntary stay’ at ashram

The Supreme Court on Friday closed proceedings in an illegal confinement against Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Foundation, after two women confirmed they were ‘voluntarily’ residing at the organisation's ashram, and were not confined.

The bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, closed the habeas corpus petition filed by the father of the two women alleging that they were being illegally confined at Sadhguru's Isha Yoga Centre at Coimbatore.

While closing the matter, the Supreme Court took an exception to the Madras High Court's direction that called for a police inquiry and questioned the women. Despite the womens' statements affirming they were free to leave, the case remained within the courts.

The bench noted that both the women, aged 42 and 39 years, were ‘adults’ and no further directions were needed. “Since both of them are adults and the purpose of habeas corpus was fulfilled, no further directions were needed from the High Court,” the Supreme Court ruled, legal news agency Live Law reported.

‘Cannot file complaint to control their lives’

While hearing the matter, the top bench also interacted with the counsel for the father of the women monks. "When you have grown children who are majors, you cannot file a complaint to control their lives," CJI told him, reported Live Law.

The counsel submitted that the habeas corpus petition was filed when his daughter told him that she was fasting unto death. In response, CJI told him that parents have to win the confidence of their adult children instead of filing a habeas petition.

"However grave the anguish may be, she is a major. We cannot compel her to meet someone," CJI said, according to a Live Law report.

Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Isha Foundation, submitted that even as per the status report filed by the Tamil Nadu police, the two women monks are voluntarily staying there. The two women had also told the Madras High Court, that they were staying at the Ashram of their own accord. Given such a situation, Rohtagi argued that the Madras High Court should have closed the habeas corpus petition instead of directing a police enquiry.

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