Why is Sadhguru encouraging women to live like hermits when his daughter is well-settled?: Madras high court
Madras high court was hearing a habeas corpus plea of a retired professor alleging ‘detention’ of his two daughters by Isha Foundation's Yoga Centre.
Judges of the Madras high court wondered why does Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder of Isha Foundation, encourage women to tonsure their heads and live like hermits when he ensured that his daughter is married and well-settled in life, NDTV reported.
The observation by a bench of SM Subramaniam and V Sivagnanam came while 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.
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Justices raise doubts
The two daughters, however, appeared before the court and claimed to be residing at the centre out of their own choice.
The foundation argued that the court could not expand the scope of the case, but the court decided to probe the case as judges raised certain doubts regarding the case.
“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,” wondered Justice Sivagnanam.
The foundation argued that it could not understand the court's concern when two independent adults are ‘free to choose’ their own path in life. “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,” replied Justice Subramaniam as per The Hindu report.
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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.
He also explained that his elder daughter is an M.Tech graduate from a university in the UK and was employed by the same institution for a salary of around ₹1 lakh in 2004. She began attending yoga classes at the foundation after her divorce in 2008. Soon, the woman's younger sister also joined her to reside at the centre.