The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Madras high court order that sought a report from the Tamil Nadu Police on all criminal cases registered against Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Foundation, news agency PTI reported.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the foundation, had sought an urgent hearing from the top court and the Centre has responded in favour of it. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta said the “High Court should have been very circumspect”.
The bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud also transferred the habeas corpus petition, alleging forceful detention of two young women by the foundation, from the high court to itself.
The bench, also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, enquired the two women in private via video conferencing before passing final orders. One of the women alleged that their father has been “harassing” them over the past 8 years.
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“These are issues of religious freedom. This is a very urgent and serious case. This is about Isha Foundation, there is Sadhguru who is very revered and has lakhs of followers. The high court cannot start such enquiries on oral assertions,” said CJI Chandrachud, Bar and Bench reported.
{{/usCountry}}“These are issues of religious freedom. This is a very urgent and serious case. This is about Isha Foundation, there is Sadhguru who is very revered and has lakhs of followers. The high court cannot start such enquiries on oral assertions,” said CJI Chandrachud, Bar and Bench reported.
{{/usCountry}}The Supreme Court also restrained the Tamil Nadu Police from taking any further action as per the directions of high court and asked it to submit the status report to the top court itself.
What did Madras high court said?
The Madras high court was hearing a habeas corpus petition of a retired professor, who alleged that his well-educated daughters, aged 42 and 39, respectively, have been brainwashed by Jaggi Vasudev to live at Isha Yoga Centre in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore permanently.
In his petition, the professor alleged that some kind of food and medicine is being administered at the centre to his daughters, which made them lose their cognitive abilities.
Also read | Probe starts against Isha Yoga Centre, team visits TN office
The foundation argued that the court could not expand the scope of this case, as the daughters have admitted to living at the centre out of their own volition.
“You will not understand because you are appearing for a particular party. But this court is neither for nor against anybody. We only want to do justice to the litigants,” said the high court before passing an order asking the Tamil Nadu government to submit a status report on pending criminal cases against the foundation.
A strong contingent of around 150 police personnel and government officials inspected the foundation's Yoga Centre in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore on Tuesday to inspect the conditions at the centre. The team was headed by Coimbatore district superintendent of police K Karthikeyan and District Social Welfare Officer R Ambika. "The officials held an enquiry with the persons at the foundation," a senior police official said.