Hearing a case in which a man alleged his daughters were kept captive inside 'Isha Foundation' before the court and set them at liberty, the Madras High Court on Monday asked why its founder - popular spiritual guru Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev - is encouraging young women to renounce worldly life when his own daughters are married.
The Madras High Court on Monday also directed the police in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore to collect all case details registered against Sadhguru's Isha Foundation at Vellingiri foothills in Coimbatore district and produce them before it for further consideration.
The Habeas corpus petition, filed by Dr S Kamaraj, sought a direction to the police to produce his two daughters, whom he alleged were held captive inside 'Isha Foundation' before the court and set them at liberty.
What Is The Case
The petitioner, a retired professor from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University of Coimbatore, alleged that the foundation was abusing his two daughters by brainwashing and converting them as monks and not even allowing the parents and relatives to meet them
Both his daughters are masters of Engineering, according to a news agency PTI report.
The situation inside the institution was also widely criticized by the petitioner in the plea. The petition also reportedly mentioned about a doctor, working at the very same institution, against who a criminal case under POCSO has been registered. The allegation against the said person was that he molested 12 girls studying in the Adivasi Government School, the bench added.
The bench said the counsel for the petitioner ubmitted there were several other criminal cases registered and allegations pending.
The bench said the petitioner has stated that on June 15, 2024 his elder daughter called the petitioner over mobile and said the younger sibling was fasting unto death till he gave up his legal protest and litigations against Isha Yoga Centre.
The petitioner shall produce the details of criminal cases registered against the institution and the Additional Public Prosecutor also shall collect all those case details and place them before us for further consideration", the bench added.
"With reference to the said allegations, Coimbatore Rural Police having jurisdiction shall conduct an enquiry and file a status report before this Court", the bench added and posted to October 4, further hearing of the case.
What Madras HC Said On Sadhguru
When the matter was taken up on Monday, September 30, asked why a man like Jaggi Vasudev, who had himself married off his only daughter, had encouraged young women to renounce the worldly life and live the life of "hermitess".
"We want to know why a person who had given his daughter in marriage and made her settle well in life is encouraging the daughters of others to tonsure their heads and live the life of a hermitess," an NDTV report quoted Justice Sivagnanam as saying.
The Isha Foundation claimed that the women choose to stay with them voluntarily, the report said.
"We believe that adult individuals have the freedom and wisdom to choose their paths. We do not impose marriage or monkhood, as these are personal choices. The Isha Yoga Centre accommodates thousands who are not monks, alongside a few who have embraced Brahmacharya or monkhood," the report quoted the foundation as saying.
