The Supreme Court has paused the investigation by Tamil Nadu Police into the alleged illegal confinement of two women at the Isha Foundation ashram in Coimbatore. The Foundation had approached the court to challenge an earlier order by the Madras High Court that directed the police to collect all case details against the ashram.
A bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud transferred to itself a habeas corpus petition filed by a man alleging that his two daughters were being held at the Isha Foundation. The bench, also comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, directed the Tamil Nadu Police to cease any further action following the high court’s order, except to submit a status report.
“You can’t let in the Army or the police into an establishment like this,” the bench remarked during the proceedings.
The bench interacted with the two women through video conferencing and noted that both stated they were at the ashram voluntarily, without coercion. The women, aged 42 and 39, indicated they had joined the ashram at ages 24 and 27, respectively, and were free to travel and had done so from time to time. Their parents had also visited the ashram.
The Isha Foundation released a statement welcoming the Supreme Court’s intervention and declined further comment, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.
The petitioner, a retired professor, had alleged that the Foundation was holding his daughters captive, a claim both daughters have denied.
